


Kingdom Hearts: Dual Destinies Book 1: The Scattered Light

by WolfieRed23



Series: Kingdom Hearts: Dual Destinies [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Authors are known for retcon and rewriting, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, If anyone wants to submit an OC from here, Multi, Please do so there, SYOC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:40:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 106,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25193302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfieRed23/pseuds/WolfieRed23
Summary: Giana and Liana's world fell a decade ago. Since then, they have fallen under the tutelage of the new Keyblade Masters, training to use the Keyblade themselves all while searching for their own world. But the Heartless have been acting strange recently and so the two of them and the eight other apprentices are trusted to investigate this new, unknown threat. SYOC CLOSED.
Relationships: Aqua/Terra (Kingdom Hearts) (background), Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s), Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Kingdom Hearts: Dual Destinies [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1825048
Comments: 14
Kudos: 1





	1. Opening and Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! This is an SYOC that I've been working on fanfic.net, which I decided to bring over here on a whim. So, to explain, the prologue and chapters 1-6 have been written and I included on author's note chapter as well. Of course, my co-author on fanfic, LegacyReturns, and I are known for going back and editing these early chapters to match later ideas we have, to make sure everything's consistent. So expect updates like that, even if we don't update too often! Also, you'll notice a Part 2 to this series already. That's the encyclopedia where we keep all OC and Weapon information, edited as chapters are posted with new info (such as Keyblades, last name updates, outfit changes, etc.) This series will eventually have more works, with each book being the next arc in the story.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy! See below for Legacy and mine's original ANs!

**Opening: Karma**

* * *

There was nothing at first, all was darkness.

Then the sun began to rise and, with it, the surroundings were revealed. There was a single path that led in two directions. One led towards the rising sun, the other towards the fleeing stars.

In the middle of that path were two young women: Gia and Lia. While Gia faced the sun, Lia faced the stars and their backs were to each other.

Music began to play.

Suddenly, Mahir, Sari, Ryo and Marta surrounded Lia, grasping her arms as they smiled and laughed, to her silent surprise, and turned her around.

At the same moment, Alexina, Rickson, Maia and Jack pounced on Gia and swung her around just as her sister was, Gia's own surprise causing words to slip past her lips.

The two sisters and eight apprentices faced each other before they looked off the path and towards the field instead. Standing there, watching them all, was Aqua, Ventus, Riku and Lea, proud smiles, or smirk in Lea's case, on their lips.

As the music picked up, all fourteen of them transformed into balls with varying degrees of light and darkness and flew away.

_"Just one glass bead rolls away without a sound_

_Another one has fallen and it hits the ground_

_And soon there will remain only one_

_But that one sits in the sparkling sun"_

The Land of Departure came into view and standing in the courtyard was none other than the Guardians of Light, minus the four Masters.

Roxas, Kairi, Namine and Xion stood near each other, all of them staring at Sora who stood a distance away, his head bowed with guilt in his eyes. Xion was the closest to him, looking as if she was going to reach out, with the other three a small distance away, all concerned and worried. Light came off Kairi's skin, while darkness tinted with light came off Sora, Roxas, Namine and Xion's.

Terra stood apart from all of them, Ends of the Earth resting on his shoulder. His features were filled with remorse and firm determination as his hand rested on his heart and darkness mixed with light came off his skin.

All six vanished, becoming balls that had the light and darkness coming off their skin, and flew away, just as the Land of Departure became nothing more than a photograph, which fell to the black ground and smashed into millions of pieces.

_"My heart stops and I faded away_

_And none of us really knew what there was to say_

_Though silent and so lonely we still never went astray"_

From the darkness came a group of people, all hidden by the darkness. In the center of them was a woman, though her features were unknown.

The woman simply watched as the many lights flew around and scattered. She raised her hand and a single blast of darkness flew up and struck two of the lights, causing Lia and Gia to reform.

The twins were falling, much faster than they expected to and they reached out for each other, their hands grazing before a burst of wind sent them in two different directions.

_"Suddenly my soul and mind are unclean_

_Somebody just tell me what does this mean?_

_Before I start to doubt my own memories_

_My memories have turned their very back on me"_

Before the darkness could swallow them, however, the lights coalesced around the twins and reformed.

Riku and Kairi caught Lia and Gia, respectively, and the chains of darkness that had been surrounded the twins were banished without a thought. Gia smiled up at the Princess of Heart in gratitude while Lia simply leaned against her Master in relief.

Meanwhile, the apprentices and the remaining Guardians of Light were attacking the unknown darkness. Easily, they each found a partner and began to attack, Mahir with Alexina, Maia with Ryo, Sari with Rickson, Jack with Marta, Terra with Aqua, Ventus with Roxas and Xion with Namine.

And in the center of it all was Sora, charging at the woman hidden in the darkness with resolve in his eyes and light surrounding him. As his light came closer, two men were revealed at the woman's side, and when the light collided with the darkness, Sora vanished.

_"I will find you, and I know that I will see you soon_

_Our heartbeats synchronize and that will guide me anywhere to you"_

The darkness retreated and the Guardians of Light and apprentices returned to balls of light as well, allowing the twins to run to each other.

Before they could reach each other, however, light drew their attention and they turned only to see the backs of a paladin prince, a monk princess, a black mage, a white mage, a sage-in-training, a hunter chief-to-be and a bard huntress princess.

_"I am calling for you, can you hear my distant calls for you_

_These many questions pile up; I know that you must wonder too_

_Why are we here and what we can do?"_

The bard huntress turned around, revealing a woman with blonde hair highlighted with red and a familiar face. She reached a single hand out to the twins, spreading the light through the darkness, offering them a home to return to.

Both Gia and Lia reached out for her hand when they froze as the ground below them began to crack. Instantly, both twins pushed the woman away, back to the light despite the protests her mouth released.

The ground broke and the twins were airborne, their Keyblades summoned in flashes of light as Heartless began to attack them. Gia and Lia turned away from each other, trusting their backs to each other, as they fought in the air.

Neither noticed as they fell that they were approaching a mirror until they slipped into it.

_"In my reflection, our karma's easy to see_

_In these rough hands this karma seems so dark and dirty_

_But with these hands we're able to join together so now_

_I know where I have to go"_

Gia opened her eyes, only to see herself standing in a field full of pure white flowers. She smiled and spun around with her arms stretched out as the wind blew through her long silver hair, simply enjoying the beautiful day as the sun shone down on her.

It was then that she became aware of another presence standing behind her. Turning, expecting to see her sister, Gia smiled and opened her mouth in greeting, only to freeze as she saw a stranger instead.

Standing before her was a man with blonde curly hair and electric blue eyes. He smiled at her softly, as if she were the most precious person in the world to him.

Feeling a smile grow on her own face, Gia slowly walked towards the man as he extended a hand to her. It was all so peaceful and beautiful to her…

_"I will always be here just extend your hand and reach for me_

_Here in this spot of sunshine we are held eternally"_

Lia stood under a sky full of beautiful stars and in front of her was Ventus. Lia smiled softly at him, for her cowl was lowered, and began to step forward.

Ventus, however, stopped her, shaking his head with a soft, caring smile on his face before he raised his hand and pointed behind her.

Turning, Lia's eyes widened as she saw a mirror and through it was Gia with a man, a complete parallel to her and Ventus. Without a second thought, Lia placed her hand on the mirror and yelled, reaching for her sister.

_"Promise you'll remember that I'm calling for you always_

_Inside this little glass bead that has fallen down and rolled away"_

Gia turned at her sister's voice and ran towards the mirror without another thought, to the relief of Lia. Gia mirrored Lia's actions in grasping the mirror and it broke, leaving the two sisters clasping hands, light and darkness mixing beneath their palms.

_"I will never forget, for I know that we will meet again_

_Our goals and our ambitions seem like they will never reach an end_

_We can end this if we just focus and run"_

The balls of light once again surrounded the twins, supporting them as the Guardians of Light and apprentices reappeared, Keyblades at the ready as they all faced a rising tide of darkness.

Releasing one hand, Lia and Gia turned towards the tide as well.

They could not make out who was leading the darkness, but that didn't matter. The Keyblades began to glow with light as silver and green light began to surround the twins.

In unison, the Keyblades were pointed towards the darkness as the twins raised their final clasped hand, a wave of light rendering the darkness useless.

For the last time, the apprentices, the Guardians of Light and the twins became balls of light, the twins smiling at each other as they faded.

_"Finally then, we will become one, one"_

Out of the light, the Land of Departure reformed and the balls of light returned to their human forms. The apprentices pounced on the twins, congratulating them, hugging them, teasing them and laughing with them. Smiles spread across Gia and Lia's faces as they looked up.

The Guardians of Light were smiling at all of them proudly, but even behind them, in the sky, Gia and Lia could see their parents, their family and everyone they had started their journey with smiling down at them proudly.

The twins smiled up at them and clasped hands once again, their fingers intertwining.

* * *

_Kingdom Hearts: Dual Destinies_

_Book 1: The Scattered Light_

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

**Location:** Agrabah - Bazaar

The Arabian sun beat down on the bustling city of Agrabah, making the gold accents of the palace shimmer brightly. Unlike the royal family, keeping fresh under the shade, the peasants and working class were mercilessly stricken by the harsh sun. Two figures walked along the clay roofs, both of which were draped in black coats. They were an odd pair to look at: one was tall and thin while the other was short and rather curvy. The shorter one was feminine in the way her hips swayed with each step she took and her black heeled boots only bolstered that femininity.

Suddenly, she threw off her hood, revealing a head of long silver hair, and whined, "Lea! This thing is too stuffy! It's like five thousand degrees out here and we're dressed in all black!"

The man quickly whipped around and pressed the palm of his hand in her mouth, causing her to muffle in protest.

"Gia!" he hissed. "Keep it down, will you? You know we wear these things so we can use the Corridors of Darkness. It's a lot quicker than using a gummi ship."

"I know, I know. But can't we get, you know...shorter darkness repelling outfits for this kind of stuff? Like maybe a black shirt and shorts."

"These things don't just grow on trees, you know. We had to trim down Larx- I mean Elrena's- just so…"

"Just so it can fit me. I _know_. I've only heard it a hundred times." She grumbled at the end and crossed her arms before letting out a "hmph!"

While she was busy sulking, Lea grabbed the hem of her hood and pulled it over her face. "And how many times do I have to tell you to keep the hood on? We're supposed to keep a low profile. Jeez, we may've gone over this stuff a hundred times but it feels like it never gets through your thick skull."

"Hey~!" she whined. With each of her following words, she stomped hard on the roof she stood atop. "Don't. Touch. My. Hoooo!" With a powerful step, she broke through the roof and plummeted into the room below. There was a loud thud accompanied by a symphony of shattering pottery. Then there was the sound of a man screaming.

"Here we go," Lea said with a sigh. He hopped down from the roof and walked into the small building through the front door to find Gia laying in a pile of broken pots and gourds. There was a large hairy man yelling at her and waving his fist around in the air. Suddenly, he grabbed Gia's arm, placed it down on a table, and reached for a knife that was tucked into his sash. Lea's hand flexed and in a flash of whirling flames, a chakram formed. He tossed it with all his strength towards the man's hand, knocking the knife away, and immediately rushed him by planting his boot into his bearded face. Gia felt Lea's bony fingers wrap around her wrist as he pulled her out of the room. The chakram stuck in the wall disappeared into flames just as quickly as it appeared, leaving the peddler alone in his shop. When the man came to, he rushed outside and scanned the area for Gia and Lea but they were gone, lost in the crowd like two grains of sand in the desert.

Lea kept looking over his shoulder as he pulled Gia through the bustling bazaar. They rounded a corner into an alleyway where less people were walking by. That's when Gia yanked her arm back and said, "I'm okay to walk on my own now."

"I sure hope so!" he snapped. "What was that?! Your little tantrum not only broke some poor guy's merch but it also called _unnecessary_ attention to us. It's always the same thing with you! You don't get your way so you break something or you hit someone or you start yelling and our cover gets blown so we have to evacuate! When will you learn?!"

Gia stared up at the man with her large blue eyes in disbelief. Her eyes began to tremble, her lips quivered, and her eyes became watery. "Don't start," Lea said firmly. Gia began to sniffle as the tears overflowed and spilled onto her cheeks. "I'm serious, Giana!"

"Y-you didn't have to y-yell at m-e like tha~t!" she said as her eyes and nose ran.

He repeatedly said, "No!" as he looked around at the people passing by. "Gia, stop crying. People are looking." He groaned in frustration, "Come on! That's not fair." Gia continued to cry, causing more of a commotion than Lea was comfortable with so he finally resigned to defeat. "Okay! Okay! I'm sorry, just shut up!"

"You're still being mean!" she said with a squeaky voice.

Lea took hold of both of her shoulders, looked her square in the eyes, and said, "Gia, I'm really sorry for yelling at you. I was wrong and I shouldn't be snapping at you just because you made a mistake."

Gia's crying slowed down to sniffles as she asked, "D-do you mean that?"

Lea took a deep breath through his nostrils before nodding and responding, "Yes, Gia. I mean it."

She swallowed the clump of saliva in her throat and nodded as she said, "O-kay."

Under his breath he mumbled, "It's hard to believe you're twenty-one when you don't act like it." He then spoke at a normal volume, "We should find a better spot to do some recon from," he said as he turned around and looked for a secluded area. As soon as his back was to her, Gia wiped her tears, leaving a mischievous grin stretched across her face. "Come on," Lea said as he started forward.

"Wait up for me!" she called.

When they exited the alleyway, they heard a man shout, "Look over there at the two in black! That must be them!" Gia and Lea turned to find a pair of men each with a large cream-colored hat and a sword at their hip. "After them!"

"Those are guards. We better skedaddle."

"Why? We can take them."

"These guys are just doing their job, Gia. We're not in the business of hurting innocent people."

Lea turned back around to go through the alleyway but a few more guards were coming their way from that direction as well so he led Gia deeper into the bazaar away from all of the guards. They turned a few corners and finally found a completely empty alleyway where Lea was able to open a Corridor of Darkness. They both ran through the portal which took them to a rooftop before closing right behind them.

Gia collapsed onto the ground and rolled to a stop on her stomach. The leather from her coat stuck to her sweaty skin and her breathing was difficult to control. Lea too was exhausted but he could still stand on his feet. He was already used to the temperature inside the coat from his time in Organization XIII many years ago. The redhead got down to a knee to look Gia in the eyes and asked, "Gia, are you okay?"

The young woman's eyes were hazy and she was clearly struggling just to breath so Lea reached under his coat and pulled out a canteen for Gia to hydrate herself. She weakly took it from him and began drinking it all at once.

"No, Gia. I won't need any," he said sarcastically. She managed to shoot a death glare his way before repositioning herself to sit down on the toasty roof.

Lea stood up and said, "Take off the coat now. The sun will feel hot but you'll be able to breathe a little better. I'm going to head down to finagle some Agrabian clothes for us so we can move around a bit more comfortable. Wait here. I won't take too long, okay?"

Gia nodded as she started unzipping her coat to slip out of it. Her eyes were still hazy and it was hard for her movements were sluggish. When she managed to get the coat off, she laid her back on its inside.

As Lea looked down at her, he added, "I should go get us some more water too. You look like you need it."

Between breaths, Gia responded, "Spring...not...tap…"

Lea just rolled his eyes and opened a Corridor of Darkness for himself, leaving Gia alone on the roof. She just closed her eyes and gave herself a moment to rest, not even noticing when Lea left. After a few minutes, she had gotten bored from waiting so she decided to take a look at the people down below, hoping to find Lea on his way back already. Nothing interesting was happening down on the ground either, much to her disappointment.

"Stupid Lea making me wait here on my own," she grumbled to herself as she laid on her stomach with her coat underneath to protect her from the hot roof. Her coat was only slightly a step up, though.

Gia noticed that there were quite a few maroon pots scattered throughout the area, so she began to count them to herself. While doing so, she noticed a pair of children, a boy and a girl, walking up to one of them. The boy pulled the girl by her hand and was pointing to the pot. They both began tapping on the pot only for it to move slightly on its own. Gia's eyes narrowed as she watched them intently. The boy seemed to be more curious than the girl about whatever was inside so he had the girl help him up so he can lift the lid and take a look inside. As he peered his head inside, the pot sprouted four spider-like legs and tilted itself to make the boy fall in. The girl screamed as she ran away, leaving the boy inside the pot which shook around until finally stopping still. Gia watched in horror as the boy's heart rose from the opening into the air.

Anger fuming inside her, Gia summoned her keyblade, Faerie Whytkin, in her hand and gripped the hilt with all her strength as she dropped down to the ground. She fell straight down so she could push herself off the building and land more comfortably, though the scorching sand still burnt her arms. She winced slightly from pain but pressed forward and swung her keyblade at the Pot Spider. The monster's shell cracked on impact, exposing part of its real form inside as it backed away from Gia. Unfortunately for the woman, there were many other maroon pots nearby, each with its own Heartless inside and when one of their kind was struck, the rest rose to attack. Within seconds, Gia was surrounded by a tight circle of Pot Spiders but she thought quickly and looked up for some sort of ledge to grab onto. There was a balcony close by so she cast Aerora on herself which pushed all of her enemies away slightly, but also sent her flying upward, which was what she planned. What she did not plan for was that her spell kicked up the sand on the ground, getting some in her eyes. She reached up for the ledge but grabbed too early, instead hitting her fingertips against the clay wall. Knowing that she would just fall back down, Gia started reach out with both hands for anything to grab and she was able to latch onto small clay ledge that poked out from the building.

She was safe out of reach from the Pot Spiders but the nearby people were not so they set their sights on the defenseless people. Unable to see, Gia had to endure the screams that echoed all around her as she hung there, clinging to her own life. She could hear the sound of swords clanging against hardened clay, alerting her that the guards had arrived to fight the monsters. She was relieved until the sound of men screaming rang in her ears.

"Gia! What are you doing?!" Lea shouted.

"L-Lea? Is that you?"

"No, it's Mushu. Of course it's me! What are you doing?"

"Just hanging in there," she said, trying to lighten the mood. She then sighed and said, "I messed up big time, Lea." She spoke incredibly fast as she explained, "This Heartless stole a kid's heart so I attacked it but there were others and they surrounded me so I used Aerora to get away but I got sand in my eyes and now I can't see so I can't land and I can't fight and it's getting really hard to hold on so help me please!"

"Okay, just let go and fall back. I'll catch you."

Gia let out a deep breath as she said, "I guess I have no other choice but to trust you." She released and braced herself for and impact with the ground. Instead, she felt her upper back and the back of her knees connect with Lea's arms. He set her down so she could wipe her eyes.

"Here," he said, handing her the canteen. "I managed to get some more water. Hurry and rinse your eyes so we can go take the Heartless out."

"I'm going as fast as I can!" she said as she flushed her eyes. Gia could still feel a grain or two stuck but it was bearable enough to fight. She blinked several times to adjust her vision but before she could fully regain it her sight was eclipsed by a set of robes that Lea found for her.

"Put that on," he said. He was already dressed in similar robes with his own keyblade in hand. Gia quickly did as instructed and followed Lea into battle. Up above, a number of hearts were already floating into the sky, which only added pressure.

Lea and Gia both ran toward a group of Pot Spiders and bashed them in with their weapons. Lea's Fire Strike technique was able to completely slice through one of the Heartless. He quickly followed his attack with a Fire Surge, scorching two nearby Pot Spiders with the ring of fire. He turned and called back to Gia, "Hey! Hit those two behind me where I cooked them. The pots are weaker there!"

Gia nodded and hit them where he told her to, manage to crack through the clay on her first strike to one of the Pot Spiders and then pierce through the Heartless itself on her second. She then swung her keyblade at the second enemy, hitting it hard enough to strike the core inside. Unknown to her another Pot Spider was quickly approaching her but Lea intercepted it with a firaga from afar, causing the Heartless to explode instantly. Gia turned around and shielded her eyes from the heat when she could see again, she noticed a sandy blonde woman standing on top of a roof in the distance. Everyone else had ran away from the area, including the guards, but Gia understood that she was probably just curious. She did not seem distressed though. She stood tall and proud with her hands behind her head, as if she were studying the two keyblade wielders.

"Gia! Focus!"

Gia turned to find a couple other Pot Spiders heading right towards her so she rolled out of the way, slashing at one as it passed by. She looked up at the woman again only to find that she was gone. Suddenly, two of the Pot Spiders were surrounded by a dark aura which completely consumed them. When the darkness faded, the Pot Spiders seemed to have morphed into blue insect segments. The head segment flashed its antennae, calling all of the Pot Spiders to it so it could form a Pot Centipede. Now joined together, the train of Heartless rushed Lea with its electrically charged antennae flailing about. Lea was able to dash out of the way but the tails whipped him, leaving a large wound on his stomach.

"Lea!" Gia called out as she ran to protect him from the Heartless, which was circling back to finish the job. Noticing the electricity coming from the antennae, Gia thought of a strategy. She pressed her fist to her chest and channeled almost all of her remaining magic into a summon. A spark of electricity formed in front of her before whirling all around the two Keybade wielders and taking shape as a small yellow energy creature. "Sparky!" Gia called cheerfully. "Snack time!"

The summon's eyes widened when he caught a glimpse of the approaching electricity source. His own antennae generated a surge of electricity between them and a tail of lightning formed trailed behind as he flew forward. Sparky circled the Pot Centipede's head, sucking in the electricity, before flying up in the air and unleashing a vicious bolt of lightning down on the Heartless. Half of the pots and the tail segment faded away into clouds of darkness, leaving just the head and a few more segments. Gia closed her eyes and cast aerora around herself, once again launching herself into the air. Once she felt the pull of gravity calling her back down to Earth, her eyes flung open. She lifted the Faerie Whytkin high above her head and dove down onto the pot centipede's head, slashing through it in one clean swing. Sparky took care of the remaining pots before fading away into sparks.

Gia collapsed onto the ground and allowed herself a moment to catch her breath. That's when it occurred to her. "Lea!" She pressed the tip of her keyblade into the ground to support herself onto her feet. She then reached into one of the pouches on her lower back and pulled out an ether, which she quickly drank to replenish some of her magical energy. It was enough to pour the warm green energy of a cura spell into Lea's wound and shut it.

Jade eyes flickered open, sending waves of relief through the girl. Lea said, "Can't a guy get a little rest here?"

Gia groaned, "You're lucky I'm so compassionate."

He chuckled, "That's one thing you won't let me forget."

"I see you got it memorized."

Lea couldn't help but chuckle at her joke but a sharp pain at his side stifled him. He groaned in pain as he clutched his stomach and rolled onto his good side.

"We should get out of here, Lea. Mind being a gentleman and opening the door for a lady?"

"I don't see any around," he teased as he pushed himself to stand. "Mind helping me put mine back on?" Gia nodded and quickly helped Lea into his black coat before running off to retrieve her own. Once they were both fully dressed with their coats, they found a secluded alleyway to escape through a corridor of darkness.

* * *

 **Location:** Agrabah - Ruins

The dark corridor took Lea and Gia to an uninhabited section of the world, a location with many toppled ruins. There, they both sat down to rest under the shade of a large pillar.

"Thanks for the save, back there," Lea said. "Doesn't matter how many times I encounter danger out here. Any day could be my last."

"Lea…I'm not lucky enough to get rid of you that easily. You'll probably outlive me."

He chuckled and again, clutched his chest from the pain. "Maybe...I think it's time we make a call to the others. This is the sixth world in a row where heartless have sprung up and each time, a stronger one appears. Kinda like the boss in a video game."

"If only things were that simple and clean," Gia said with a sigh. "So what are you going to tell the other masters?"

"That it's time to start taking a serious look into whatever is going on." He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a red and black Gummiphone. He dialed a number and then looked down at the screen while the device rang in his hand.

A young man with wild blonde spikes flaring from his head appeared on the screen. "Hello?"

"Hey, Ven!" Lea answered happily. There was a bit of strain in his voice.

"Hey, Lea. Everything okay?"

"Hi Master Ventus!" Gia said gingerly as she tried to get her face in the frame.

Ventus chuckled and said, "Hello Gia. It's good to see you're both alive and well."

"Alive, yes. But well? That's why I called you. I don't know if you guys over there have noticed, but here on my end, things have been getting a little hectic, if you know what I mean."

Ventus furrowed his brows and tilted his head. "I can't say I do. Are you saying that there's trouble brewing?"

"Well I can't say how bad it is for sure but it seems like we might have a problem on our hands. Gia and I are seeing numbers were don't typically see. And it isn't just quantity, the quality of baddies is getting worse too."

"I see. In that case, I think it might be time for you and Gia to come back home. I'll let Aqua and Riku know."

"Sure thing, pal. We'll see you in a few."

Gia's eyes brightened with excitement as she squealed, "Am I going to see Lia and Silva?!"

Ventus laughed and said, "I'll leave you to handle that." The screen turned black, leaving an exhausted Lea to deal with an excited Gia. The battle they just endured had no effect on the woman. She was back on her feet, shaking with anticipation.

"Open up a dark corridor already, Lea!"

"Alright! Alright!" he said. "Geez, the least you could do is help a guy up to his feet." The man opened a shadowy rift, which Gia ran into. With a sigh, he followed behind her, limping as he did so.


	2. The Twins Reunite

**Chapter 1: The Twins Reunite**

* * *

**Location:** The Land of Departure - Forecourt

During the years after Xehanort was defeated, the Land of Departure had become a seat of power for all Keyblade wielders. The castle that sat at the summit of a mountain, anchored to other mountains by its glimmering golden chains, served as the home and school for new apprentices. Those who oversaw the training of these apprentices were the current Keyblade masters: Aqua, Ventus, and Riku.

Currently, five of the nine apprentices that lived on the Land of Departure were gathered in the courtyard, along with the sole two year old. Standing on the edge was Alexina, the newest recruit of the nine. She was still not used to the vast range of mountains that surrounded them. Where she came from, there was only one large mountain which she had been taught to worship. Now residing above the townsfolk was something surreal to her.

One of the other apprentices snapped Alexina out of her thoughts when she beckoned a boy named Ryo. "C'mon, Ryo! Train with us!" Maia pleaded as she attempted to drag Ryo to the center of the courtyard where the others were playing a game of some kind. Alexina could see Marta standing by a net with a ball in her hands and little Silva right next to her, happily chatting with the dreamy girl, though what their conversation topic was, Alexina didn't know.

"I-I don't th-think so, Maia…" Ryo stuttered as he effortlessly dodged Maia's attempts to capture him.

"Oh, come on, it's not that bad!" Mahir said with a grin as he trapped Ryo in a headlock. "Master Ven created this game just for us!"

"B-but I don't see how it helps with training!" Ryo protested as he fruitlessly attempted to escape the other boy's grasp.

"I agree." Alexina spoke up, attempting to get the attention off of the obviously uncomfortable Ryo. "How is hitting a ball back and forth considered training?"

"It's good practice for hitting moving targets." Marta answered, a dreamy smile on her lips, as she held up the ball, which Alexina now noticed was decorated like a Heartless. "The Heartless and Nobodies can be unpredictable. Master Ventus said that we have to be creative with our training."

"I see…" Alexina nodded thoughtfully.

"Plus it's a lot of fun!" Silva happily piped up before she crossed her arms and pouted. "But Mommy says I can't play with you guys."

"You will when you're older!" Mahir grinned as he finally released poor Ryo and bent down so he was eye level with the little girl. "And by that point, you'll have seen us play so much, you'll be an expert!"

"Really Mahi?" Silva smiled at the dark skinned young man.

"Really really!" Mahir grinned, ruffling the little girl's dark brown hair as she happily cheered.

"Will you join us, Lexi? Please?" Maia turned on Alexina, her eyes large like a puppy's as she drew the gladiator's attention.

"L-Lexi…?" Alexina repeated. She flinched from surprise.

"Come on, it's not that bad." Mahir smiled as he stood up, picked up a wooden sword and held it out to Alexina. "Using a Keyblade is no different than using any other type of sword so the more you get used to swinging one around, the easier it'll be when you finally get your own Keyblade."

As the sole apprentice without a Keyblade, Alexina felt her cheeks burn. "I know how to use a sword. Alright." She agreed with a nod.

"Yay!" Maia grinned brightly as she stopped badgering Ryo. Silva joined the cheering too, before she ran to Ryo's side so she was out of the way.

"Alright! Then Ryo and Silva, you can keep score, okay?" Mahir grinned.

"S-sure…" Ryo agreed as his breath finally evened out and he easily picked up Silva to carry her towards the small toy scoreboard. Alexina reasoned that Mahir may had used more strength than intended.

Now with enough players, the four Keyblade wielders each took their respective positions on either side of the net. It was Mahir and Maia against Marta and Alexina.

"It's her first time playing so let's let Lexi go first," Mahir said to Marta. She nodded and then promptly tossed the ball to her teammate which Alexina caught with ease in her left hand.

"How do I hit it?" she asked as she raised and lowered the ball's altitude, unsure of the proper form.

"Like this," Marta said as she pretended to toss a ball in the air and hit it with her sword.

Alexina nodded as she got into her battle stance. She stood sideways with her feet parted at shoulder-length. Her knees were bent slightly and her sword was at hip level. She planted her left foot forward but took a moment to adjust it until she deemed it proper. When she was ready, Alexina tossed the ball into the air, high enough that everyone had to look up - Mahir and Maia shielded their eyes from the sun for a second. Mahir whistled to emphasize how high she had thrown it up. Once the ball reached its pinnacle, it started to drop quickly but Alexina smashed her sword into it with perfect timing. The ball flew into the net and returned to her so she rolled out of the way.

Mahir and Maia erupted into laughter, the former even stooped down to his knees because of his laughing frenzy. Alexina picked herself off the ground and dusted her clothes with her hand. She then shot daggers at Mahir and Maia. She was pretty sure she could hear Silva laughing and clapping her hands behind her too, but she didn't dare look.

Marta approached her and said, "Don't take it personally. Those two are just being silly and Silva's just a toddler. They don't mean any disrespect."

Alexina understood, but still felt embarrassed. She looked over at the laughing duo with a determined look. She was going to show them she could play the game right and win. "Alright, Marta. Ready to-" That's when she turned around to find Marta with her head down. Her eyes widened with frustration as she said, "Marta, now's not the time to fall asleep!"

Mahir ducked underneath the net as he made his way towards them, saying, "That's just something you're going to have to get used to with her. She might be asleep, but she's not useless." Mahir thrust his sword at Marta who simply shifted slightly to the left and raised her right arm to avoid the jab. "She's still partly with us but I don't think she'll be able to continue training."

"Oh, Ryooooo~" Maia said eerily.

The young man whipped around to find the ruby-haired girl standing right behind him. "Ah! How did-? Where did you-?" He looked back and forth from Maia to where she stood before. Maia just giggled in response as he started running. She began chasing after him again around the net. Thankfully, he had already set Silva back on her feet. Unfortunately, that meant the little girl joined in chasing him, thinking it all a game. "Come on, Maia, I don't want to play."

"Just try it!"

" L-leave me alone."

"Pleeeease?!"

"I have chores to do!"

"Yeah, all of a sudden."

"Play, Ryo, play!"

"Yeah, listen to Silva!"

"Not fair! She's a kid! You can't use her against me!"

Mahir laughed at them and Alexina unknowingly began smiling. That smile faded when she saw a Corridor of Darkness appearing in the corner of her eye. Without warning, a silver haired young woman ran through excitedly. Alexina's body moved on its own, closing the distance within seconds. Before the silver-haired woman could do anything, she found a wooden sword pointed at her neck.

"Don't move." Alexina whispered threateningly. "Or you'll see that I don't need a real weapon to dispatch an enemy." The woman met Alexina's eyes, her own blue eyes becoming hard, like ice. Suddenly, a whirlwind formed around Alexina, lifting her high into the air.

"Well that takes care of that," The woman said confidently with a smile.

Alexina was aggravated by this woman's audacity and trickery. She recovered in the air and with pinpoint accuracy, tossed her sword down at the stranger, who narrowly dodged it by jumping back. Alexina then reached for the xiphos at her waist and came down on the stranger. The silver-haired woman dodged again and summoned her Keyblade to block the brunette's next strike. To the stranger's apparent surprise, Alexina had a lot of power behind her swing, easily managing to break through her defense. Alexina charged forward with another swing, but only sliced through air.

The girl staggered and blinked her eyes, taking a moment to realize what had just happened. Once she did, her face lit up, to Alexina's confusion, and she turned to see a woman with an uncanny resemblance to her, except for her emerald green hair. A light blue cowl covered the lower-half of her face, but Alexina recognized her easily after living there for three months..

"Lia!" The stranger shouted excitedly, startling Alexina, before embracing the oldest apprentice. Lia smiled behind her cowl and returned the hug.

"Really, Gia? You couldn't have given us some warning before you charged here?" She asked.

"Sorryyy~, I thought Master Ventus would tell you all!" The young woman, Gia, whined, _whined_!

The Corridor of Darkness closed behind a red haired man, who captured everyone's attention by saying, "To be fair, I just got off the phone with the guy, Lia."

"I'm Gia!" the silver-haired woman snapped at him.

"Oh that's right!" he said insincerely as he slapped his forehead. "It's just that when the two of you are right next to each other, it's difficult to tell you apart. Anyways, good to see you, _Lia_." That time, he addressed the right twin.

"Gigi! You're back!" Silva screamed in delight as she stopped chasing Ryo and instead charged at the woman.

"Ahhh! There's my little Sil!" The woman, Gia, grinned as she bent down and swept the little girl into her arms before spinning her in the air. "Have you been good?"

"Mhm!" Silva nodded firmly.

"Master Lea," Lia addressed him with his title and bowed in respect, turning all eyes away from the woman and child. The other apprentices, even the sleeping Marta, did the same. Alexina was...horribly lost, but once she saw everyone else bow to Lea, she followed suit.

"Well, I gotta say, it's good to feel a little respect every once in a while. Speaking of which, why aren't you bowing?"

Gia turned away and responded, "Why should I? It's just you. Besides, I'm holding my little Sil right now! She's more important!"

Alexina and Ryo shared a look of shock, both thinking the same thing. Even in their short time there, never had either of them seen an apprentice speak to any of the masters with such disrespect, but here Lea was laughing at it instead of correcting her.

"Gia, you really should show Master Lea some respect," Lia advised. "He is your personal master, after all."

"Nah, he's just a big hot head."

"Hot head?!"

"Careful, Lea. Your Hades is showing," Gia teased.

Mahir and Maia laughed along with her, having heard stories of the ill-tempered god from Olympus and Lia smirked and rolled her eyes at her sister, but Ryo still looked lost and a little uncomfortable. It was Alexina who had heard enough and finally spoke out, "How dare you speak so disrespectfully about an Olympian, you sacrilegious little imp!"

"Little?!" Gia shouted. Lia quickly grabbed Silva from Gia before her twin dropped the little girl.

Both Gia and Alexina got into their battle stances, but Lea, Mahir, and Maia all summoned their own Keyblades, ready to intercept. Lia joined in after gently placing Silva down on the floor. She stood face-to-face with her sister, giving her a look that ordered her to stand down. Lea and Maia got in the middle as well and Mahir prepared one of his spells, most likely Bind. Ryo's eyes darted back and forth, unsure of what would happen next or what he should do.

"Geez, this sure isn't the welcome party we were planning," Ventus said as he made his way down the stairs that led to the castle. His hair was shorter than it was in his youth and he now wore ceremonial white robes with gold symbols around the black collar and sleeves. He was accompanied by Riku, who wore a more combat-oriented outfit that made him look like some kind of huntsman.

"Everybody, put your weapons away," Riku ordered. Without a second's delay, all of the Keyblades disappeared. "Stand by," he said to them without taking his eyes off of Lea.

"What do you mean it's not a welcome party?" Lea asked sarcastically. "We were just about to hit a piñata."

"What? They filled your hollow head with candy?" Ventus teased. Gia tried to keep herself from erupting into laughter but her hands could only do so much to muffle her voice. Some of the other apprentices wore some cheeky smirks of their own.

Riku cracked a smile as he told his peers, "You two really know how to break the ice." He then went in to hug Lea. So did Ventus right after.

The blonde put a hand on Gia's shoulder and said, "Good to have you back, Gia."

"It's good to see you again, Master Ven."

"Uncle Ven! Pick me up!" Silva demanded, holding her arms out to her uncle.

"What did your mom say?" Ventus teasingly scolded her.

"Please?" The little girl added and the blonde master happily picked her up, briefly tossing her in the air before bringing her close again.

Marta began to yawn and stretch out her arms, letting everyone know that she was awake. She looked around and asked, "Huh? What's going on?"

"I'll explain later." Maia whispered, to which Marta nodded in agreement. This seemed to be a common situation with the sleepy woman.

Riku turned towards Mahir, Maia, and Marta and said, "You three are already familiar with our visitors, correct." They responded with nods. He then turned to the two newest apprentices and continued, "Alexina, Ryo, this is Master Lea. You haven't seen him around, but he is a Keyblade Master just like the rest of us. He doesn't come here often because he and his apprentice, Giana, here-"

"Hi!" Gia said quickly with a cheerful wave. That is until she looked at Alexina and her smile dropped.

Riku continued, "...travel the various worlds to deal with any forces that threaten the balance between light and darkness. Now if you will all excuse us, Master Lea will return with myself and Master Ventus to meet with Master Aqua regarding his most recent report. We will fill you all in afterwards. Until then, continue your training as you wait to be assigned another mission."

"Master Riku," Lia began as she bowed to him. "With all due respect, may Gia and I attend the debriefing?"

"Whaaaa~?! But Lia, I wanted to go into town to get some pastries from that little bakery in the plaza!"

"Don't you think that this is more important?" Lia said with narrowed eyes. "Especially considering what I've heard about how your past few missions have been going."

"Oh come on, it's not _that_ bad!" Gia protested.

"You fell through a roof in Agrabah." Lea threw in.

"And my sister doesn't need to know that!" Gia hissed as she whirled around to her master. The redhead nonchalantly tossed his arms behind his head in response.

Riku smiled at the twins and said, "Liana, you should spend some time with your sister. The other masters and I trust you to stand by our side during meetings like this, but it's not every day you get to see her. There will be time for the serious business later."

Lia nodded with her eyes closed and responded, "Yes, Master."

Riku offered her a gentle smile as he turned around to walk back to the castle.

"You stay with the others, okay, Silva?" Ventus told the little girl in his arms.

"Yes, Uncle Ven!" Silva nodded before she kissed his cheek.

"Good girl." Ventus smiled, kissing her cheek right back before he set her down. Silva then quickly made sure to wave at Riku and give Lea a high five before she ran towards the apprentices happily.

Riku then stopped by Alexina and told her, "Master Aqua will discuss with you regarding your impulsiveness."

"Yes, Master Riku," she said with her gaze low. She found herself unable to make eye contact with him. Riku, Lea, and Ventus all walked up the stairs and into the castle, leaving all of the apprentices alone in the courtyard.

For a while, there was a tense, uncomfortable silence hanging over the seven youth. Alexina looked like she wanted to disappear into the ground, but before any of the apprentices could say a word to her, Alexina bowed. "I should be going." She muttered and turned to leave without another word.

As she walked away, Lia shared a look with Mahir and she saw the same concern for the girl reflected in his eyes. Mahir, however, subtly shook his head at her. Now wasn't the time to confront Alexina about all of this. Lia quietly sighed under her breath, but nodded subtly in agreement.

"Say, Gia, weren't you just mentioning something about going into town?" Mahir said aloud, catching everyone's attention.

"Oh, yeah, you're right! C'mon, Lia, let's go! Please?!" Gia begged, clutching her sister's arm in a vice that she called her hands.

"I never said we couldn't. Come on, let's all go together." Lia said as she lowered her cowl, revealing her and Gia's identical features.

"Yay~! Ryo, you're gonna love the town, it's so cool!" Maia grinned brightly as she grasped Ryo's hand and began to drag him down the path they needed to take. "Come on, Sil!" She added as she grasped the two year old's outstretched hands.

"I-I've been to town, Maia! Hey! Don't pull me, or I'll-woah!" Ryo barely managed to catch himself as he tripped, to Maia's delight as she continued to pull him and Silva along.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Silva cheered, to Maia's delight as she just sped up, to Ryo's dismay.

"Wait for us!" Gia cried as she chased after the younger apprentices and the child.

"Yeah, wait up!" Marta chirped in agreement, only a few paces behind Gia. Somewhere along the way, the two young women started racing each other instead of attempting to catch up with Maia, Ryo, and Silva.

Just as well, Lia fell into step beside Mahir, the two of them walking at a normal pace compared to their fellow apprentices.

"C'mon, Lia, what's eating you?" Mahir finally asked, as she had known he would.

"Nothing, just...I feel responsible for Alexina and I don't want her to feel like an outcast, simply for reacting as she should have had Gia been a real enemy." Lia confessed.

"You worry too much. It's no different than how you reacted when I first came. If I remember correctly, I ended up on the floor with one of your ninja knives to my neck." Mahir chuckled as Lia's cheeks turned bright red at the memory. Of course, it was what happened _after_ that which made Lia dislike that memory so much.

"I thought we agreed to never discuss that." She hissed at the young man.

"In front of others, yeah. But when we're alone, that's free game, Lia." Mahir grinned as he quickly dodged Lia's swipe at the back of his head, laughing as he ran ahead to catch up with the others. Oh, he knew Lia was going to kill him, but he also knew it was all in good fun. It was just how they were. Lia was the older sister he never really had growing up and teasing her like this was the best. Besides, she always gave back what she got and it was nice that the two of them, who were expected to be the role models, the 'big siblings' to the other apprentices, got the chance to relax when they were with each other, if nobody else.

* * *

 **Location:** The Land of Departure - Town Plaza

In the three years that Lia had lived at the Land of Departures, and even in the seven years before she and her sister had been found after the Second Keyblade War had ended, the Land of Departure had become well inhabited. It had started as a plan proposed by Ventus to give aid to refugees who couldn't return to their home worlds and Aqua had encouraged it, saying it was something Master Eraqus would have wished for. Eventually, however, the town had grown to be open to anyone wanting to live under the protection of the Keyblade masters.

True to her word, Gia led the apprentices and Silva directly to a bakery that she enjoyed visiting whenever she came to visit. She came so often that the pastry chef lit up like a Christmas tree when he saw her. Somehow, between all of them, the group managed to get Ryo to relax a little and begin to enjoy himself.

"You're from an island?" Gia asked Ryo with wide eyes. "That must be like summer all the time!"

"Not really." Ryo said. "It's mostly just hot. And it means I'm not used to other seasons."

"Sounds more like my sandbox of a home then." Mahir commented as he stretched his arms, carefully balancing a happily eating Silva on his shoulders, a cookie based on King Mickey in her hands. "Agrabah is no picnic, let me tell you."

"I won't argue with you there," Gia threw in.

"It isn't _that_ bad, guys!" Marta disagreed. "And the royals are all really nice!" she smiled, remembering her own time visiting Mahir's home.

"You got to meet the royal family of that world?!" Maia asked excitedly. "You're so lucky! The only royalty I've ever met is Mahir, our resident royal pain in the-"

"Maia!" Lia hissed. Her deep blue eyes darting back and forth between Maia and Silva. Luckily for Maia, the two-year-old did not notice as she was happily distracted, eating her cupcake.

"Oh…" Maia simply grinned and blushed.

"You've never met royals?" Gia asked. Maia shook her head. "Well, when Lia and I find out home world, we'll take you to meet royals. In fact, we'll take everyone from the Land of Departure there!"

"Whoa…" Ryo and Maia whispered in awe.

"You know royal family on your world?" Marta asked.

"Well, not to toot our own horn, but Lia and I are royals."

The others were left in complete bewilderment, which confused Gia. She knew that Ryo was new but the others had been at the Land of Departure for at least a year so she figured that Lia would have shared a little bit of their past with them by this point. The silver-haired woman looked over at her sister, who she just now realized had been silent the entire time.

Gia caught Lia biting the inside of her lip. She did that when she was uncomfortable, though most people would not notice because she usually had her cowl covering her face. The green-haired twin said, "Hey guys, so who wants to go to the library? There's a book I wanted to check out."

"Ok, who do you think you are? Belle?" Mahir joked with her.

"Better than looking like Beast," Lia shot back, which earned plenty of "Oh's!" from their peers.

"Pssh, you wish I was your prince," he said as he combed his messy black hair back.

"You can be Silva's prince!" Maia eagerly suggested. "She's our princess after all!"

"Yes! Great idea, Maia! You want me to be your prince, Silva?" Mahir grinned.

"...I'd rather Sari, she's prettier." Silva stated, entirely serious. This caused all the apprentices to crack up and Mahir, carefully of course, tipped back, as if the shock dealt him a blow, so Silva slipped off his shoulders and into Lia's waiting arms, to the little girl's delight.

Lia rolled her eyes as she stood up, adjusted Silva and asked, "Are you coming or not?"

"Sure, I'll lend you another pair of eyes," Mahir responded.

For the next several hours, the six apprentices and Silva ran around the town, acting like the young souls that they were rather than the soldiers they were trained to be. All three Masters often encouraged them to relax and take time off from training, knowing what it was like to have to be thrown head first into a war at a young age. The apprentices may have been young, but they weren't expected to carry the weight of the worlds, not like how Sora and Riku once had before they had found the other Guardians of Light.

"Hey, Lia." Gia said as she and her sister sat on the fountain in the center of the town while Mahir took the other apprentices and Silva through the pet store, with the strict warning to _not_ buy the little girl a pet, less they anger Aqua. When the ninja hummed in answer, the summoner continued. "Have you gotten any further in finding anything about home? That's why we went to the library, right? So you could try and find anything about it?"

Lia was silent for several moments, her expression frozen. She turned to her sister, seeing the hope shining in Gia's eyes.

"Gia, I-" Lia started to say when a familiar ringtone went off and she took her Gummiphone out of her pocket. With an apologetic look at Gia, the ninja answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey," Riku said on the other end, smiling slightly. "Mind rounding up the others and coming back? We need to debrief all of you."

"Of course, Master, we'll leave right now." Lia nodded, easily slipping into the role of apprentice.

"Thanks, Liana. It's good to know we have you to keep the others in line. You'll make a great Master one day." Riku smiled proudly. Liana caught the hint instantly and turned bright red, attempting to hide her face in the strands of hair hanging in her face.

She wasn't very successful.

"Master..are you saying that-"

Riku teased her by cutting her off, "That I want you all up here immediately? Yeah."

"Yes, Master."

"See you then." Riku smiled and hung up with a good natured goodbye. Lia refused to meet her sister's eyes as she recovered her composure. _Somehow_ , she managed to not give in to the urge to hide in her cowl and was soon on her feet, calling Mahir to get the others so they could head back.

Gia didn't say anything as they walked back, simply watching as her sister and the thief seamlessly slipped behind the masks of leadership that they were expected to be as the oldest apprentices and, most likely, the two who would soon be taking the Mark of Mastery exam. Though it was a bit disconcerting, watching her sister, whom she had known all her life, vanish behind the facade of a warrior and a protector, it also made Gia so very proud. Her little sister was growing up so fast.

Gia failed to notice that the spiky-haired apprentice, Ryo, had approached her. He shyly said, "Uhm, so I meant to say this earlier, but it's nice to finally meet Lia's little sister that I heard so much about." Ryo said as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ryo, _no_!" Lia and Mahir shouted in wide eyed _panic_ as Maia looked excited for the explosion that was to come. Marta did not look like she was going to intervene either since she was having a hard time staying awake as evident by the dreamy look on her face. Silva looked torn between laughing or running to avoid Gia's reaction.

Gia found no difficulty in waking Marta when she shouted, **_"I'm older than her! How is that not obvious to you?!"_**

"Uh, I, uh, w-well…I…"

_"Don't answer!"_

Thankfully, this time, Ryo listened to his senior apprentices. Maia giggled happily as Mahir led Ryo, Marta and Silva back to the castle and Lia took to calming her sister down, before they arrived and the Masters would all see her.

* * *

 **Location:** The Land of Departure - Forecourt

Lia sighed in relief as they finally reached the castle again, grateful for her now calmed sister. All it took was a caramel apple from the candy store in town but then they ended up waiting for Maia and Marta to finish filling their plastic bags with sweets, and attempting to share a bunch with Silva which the ninja had to put a stop to instantly. Regardless, they were all back and ready for their meeting. Before she made it to the steps, Mahir suddenly grab her arm and pulled her to the side, hard enough that she stumbled into his side, glaring up at him.

"And what was _that_ for?" She demanded.

"Just wanted to share a little observation I made." Mahir shrugged. "Gia freely offered up that you guys are royalty in your home world, like it was no big deal. But you're not as open about your background and home world. I always thought that it meant that something really bad happened, but Gia doesn't seem all that worried."

Lia looked down, her bangs hiding her eyes as she slowly pulled her arm out of Mahir's loosened grasp. "Something bad _did_ happen. Gia just chooses to block out the bad stuff from our past."

Mahir's face softened as he apologized, "Oh...sorry, I didn't-"

"We don't have time to discuss this right now, Mahir. The Masters are waiting." She stated.

The thief was silent for several moments, trying to get a read on the ninja, but to no avail. Mahir let the green-haired woman go and followed behind her.

* * *

 **Location:** The Land of Departure - Castle - Main Hall

The main hall inside the Land of Departure's castle was a large room with thick cream-colored columns on each side. There were gold accents all over from the rails to the edges of the walls and all around the windows. Most elegant of it all was the gold marble floor that was shined spotless. At the far end of the room were three thrones but the masters all stood in front of them, waiting for the rest of the apprentices to arrive since Alexina was already waiting patiently. When Maia's head popped out from the staircase at the opposite end of the room with the others following closely behind her, the masters all turned towards them. Now that all of the apprentices were present and lined up in front of them - with Gia intentionally avoiding Alexina - Ventus, Aqua, and Riku sat down from left to right in their respective seat with Lea standing at Ventus' side.

"Welcome back and thank you for joining us," Aqua said to them all. She wore a blue-gray ceremonial robe over her combat outfit, now sporting a pair of leggings. She retained all of the armored accessories that she wore in her younger days but her hair had grown to pass her shoulders and fell in waves with neat bangs framing her face. "I hope you all enjoyed your time in town because in our profession, we have to take the breaks when we can and unfortunately, now is the time to go to work.

"As some of you know from visiting other worlds, Heartless appear whenever a person's heart submits completely to darkness. Since Master Xehanort was defeated and all of the Keyholes were sealed, less Heartless have appeared across all of the worlds that we have visited and most of the Heartless that do appear have just been Shadows. Recently, Master Lea had begun reporting larger quantities of Heartless spawning and in the past few worlds that he and Giana have visited, there have been more powerful Heartless than what they normally encounter.

"We believe that this has something to do with greed spreading throughout the worlds and that the increase of Heartless spawning is tied to the case that Sari, Jack and Rickson are currently working on right now. For those of you who are not aware, we have three apprentices who have been following a trail of missing materia. With less materia available in a world for the moogles to harvest, less moogles appear in those worlds, which lead to less resources in that world, and that creates greed. Greed on its own can overturn civilizations but it can be a gateway to stealing and that can eventually lead up to murder. The more a person falls down that path, the easier it is for the darkness to consume them."

With the wave of her hand, Aqua effortlessly created a holographic map of the galaxy large enough for everyone to see. "This is our location," she said while pointing to a flickering dot on the map. She swiped once, causing the map to shift over, and then zoomed in to a world on the map. "Sari's team is currently on Rickson's home world, The Caribbean, which is in the Misty Stream. Just a few hours ago, she reported that they were able to procure a keychain that, when equipped, will allow them to locate materia more easily. According to her, when Rickson equipped the keychain to his Keyblade, his Keyblade was pulled in the direction of Montressor, in the Etherium." She swiped at the map, once again shifting it. " _There_ is a small artificial satellite, called Crescentia, that orbits Montressor and serves as its main port which is where the Keyblade is most likely pointing to."

Mahir raised his hand, asking for permission to speak. "You mentioned a port?" he asked.

"For Gummi Ships," Riku responded. "Many of the planets in that galaxy have figured out how to mine for gummi blocks and create ships sustainable in the lanes between. That galaxy is also well known for the abundance of interworld pirates so we have the suspicion that a pirate has been going around collecting materia and passing it through Crescentia."

Aqua nodded and said, "That's right. So tomorrow, we will be sending a team consisting of Marta, Gia, and Lia to go investigate Crescentia and see if there is any information that they can find regarding this case. Lia, you're in charge of this one."

Lia was in disbelief. She just stood there with a blank expression as Aqua looked back at her, waiting for a response. Lia felt a nudge at her side so she turned to her sister who was looking at her with a wide smile. The emerald-haired girl still had a confused look on her face so Gia gestured with her eyes and the tilt of her head towards Aqua.

"Oh! Yes Master Aqua," Lia responded.

Aqua chuckled slightly as she said, "Getting cold feet already, Lia?"

"No, ma'am," she answered quickly.

"Good. Sari's team should be meeting the three of you on Crescentia. Once you land there, call them to regroup and from there you will be expected to gather information on any top priority wanted pirates in the area. Rickson's Keyblade pointed in that direction for a reason. It's most likely because our materia collector is hoarding all of it somewhere around there. Be quick but be tactical in collecting the information you need. Is your mission clear?"

"Yes, Master Aqua," the three young women answered.

"Everyone else will remain here on standby and will be expected to be ready to depart to assist the others if the need arises. I fear that things are beginning to change in the World and we must be ready to fight at a moment's notice. That is all for now. I advise you all to go to your quarters and get some rest for tomorrow."

"Yes, Master Aqua," they all said in unison.

"May your heart be your guiding key," she told them all.

"And may your heart be yours," they responded. Gia was the exception. Instead, she looked over at Lea with eyes full of panic, having not been taught that formality. Lea merely smirked and shrugged in response, much to her annoyance. None of the other masters pointed Gia out so she felt a wave of relief wash over her. With nothing left to do, the apprentices all began walking together to their rooms.

"And where are you going?" Lea asked his apprentice.

Gia spun on the tip of her toe to face him but she was confused so she cocked her head to the side. "To my sister's room?"

"You seem surprisingly unsurprised to find out that you won't have yours truly to watch your back on this mission."

"Huh, you're right. Wonder what that's all about," she said with a shrug. "Anyways, I'll catch you tomorrow, Lea. Gonna go have some girl time with the sis."

"Gah! Are you serious?! You're not even interested in what your wise master will be up to during your absence from his side?"

"Wise master? Wait!" Her eyes beamed and a large smile stretched across her face. "Is Master Aqua finally going to be my master?! Ooh! What about Master Riku?"

The other masters laughed at Lea as his blood boiled with frustration. Finally, he stood up straight, turned to the side, and crossed his arms as he pretended to be nonchalant about it. "Fine, I guess I won't tell you then."

"Kay," she said as she turned back around and started walking with Lia towards the dormitories.

* * *

 **Location:** Land of Departure - Castle - Lia's Room

"Ugghhhh, man am I jealous of you, sis." Gia sighed as she leaned back against Lia's bed. "You get to stay here _and_ get this awesome room all to yourself, while I'm stuck with the hot head and don't even get a real bed!"

"Come on, this isn't all that." Lia disagreed, smiling in amusement as she sat down beside her collapsed sister, her eyes skimming through a stack of papers that she flipped through. "I mean look at all these entries you've made in your journal. You've seen so many worlds, while I've only seen half a dozen at most."

"Still, I like exploring and all, but some luxuries would be nice too!" Gia groaned, trying to bury herself into the bed.

"Princess…" Lia snorted, leaning against her headboard.

"And rightfully so!" Gia countered, pointing a finger in Lia's face.

The two stared at each other in silence for a few tense moments before they collapsed into laughter, Gia pushing herself up to lean against Lia's bent legs instead.

"I really did miss you though." Lia smiled softly, placing her hand on her sister's. "It's not the same, waking up and not hearing you have an enthusiastic conversation with _someone_."

"Same back to you. It sure isn't fun traveling around with the same person all the time. He takes all the fun out of it, not like what traveling back at home with mom and dad was like." Gia said while pulling a face to show her distaste.

"And yet there's no other master for you." Lia countered.

"I guess…" Gia sighed, overly dramatic. "But the same is true of you and Master Riku then."

"Of course." Lia nodded in agreement, playing with the chain she wore around her neck.

"You're doing better now, right? With getting your ninjutsu back to normal, I mean." Gia asked.

"A bit, but I still have a ways to go." Lia admitted, refusing to meet her sister's eyes.

"Well, don't worry, I'm sure you'll get it back before you know it!" Gia grinned, her belief palpable.

"Thanks, sis." Lia smiled, looking up a bit.

"Always!" Gia grinned, taking Lia's hand in her own.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, interrupting them.

"Come in." Lia called.

The door opened to reveal Ventus on the other side.

"Hey, good to see you two catching up," he said with a smile as he entered the room.

"Hi Master Ventus! Did you need something?" Gia asked.

"Yeah, we just finished working out the last few details on the mission for tomorrow. Riku asked me to come get Lia so they could train in the garden, just as a precaution." Ventus explained.

"Awww, fine." Gia whined before she whirled around on her sister. "You better do well, sis, we need you in top shape for this mission, okay?"

"Yes, Gia." Lia chuckled as the summoner freed her legs, allowing her to get off the bed and follow Ventus. "I'll be back late, don't wait up for me."

"If you say so." Gia sighed as she fell back on the bed once again. "Good luck and have fun!"

* * *

 **Location:** Land of Departure - Castle Gardens

Lia made her way down the road from the forecourt until she reached the fork that would take her either to the garden area or down the mountain into town. She had not expected to do any training so late, especially the night before her first mission without Riku by her side, but her master was a rather diligent one who preferred to work than rest so this was not out of character for him. Lia stepped onto the cement walkways that cut through the dirt and ran throughout the gardens like veins in the body. When she reached the fountain in the center, she found it odd that Riku was not there so she called out to him, "Master Riku? Are you here?"

There was no response so she decided to wait for him. After only a few seconds, though, Lia felt someone's hand grab her shoulder so she whipped around, summoned Kiku no Kizuna in her right hand, and pinned him against a hedge with her forearm pressed against his chest and her Keyblade held against his throat. Her eyes widened when she realized it was only Ventus.

"Sneaking up on you is no fun," he said jokingly.

Lia's body relaxed as she rolled her eyes and made her Keyblade disappear. She asked him, "And when will you get that through that thick skull of yours? What are you even doing here? I thought Master Riku was to meet me out here." She crossed her arms and turned her body to the side, leaving her open to a hug.

"Aw, don't be like that," Ventus pleaded with her. He took hold of her waist, turning her to face him with ease. "Can you blame a guy for wanting to see his girlfriend before she leaves on her mission?"

A pink tint burned Lia's cheeks behind her cowl. Before she could react, Ventus had pulled it down and pressed his lips against hers in a gentle kiss. Lia immediately pulled away and whispered aggressively, "Are you out of your mind?! What if someone sees us? We're out in the open." She looked up at his deep blue eyes, which relaxed her more with every second that she lost herself in them. They sparkled like sapphires when the moonlight hit them.

"You know that the only person that comes down here is Sari and she's still on her mission. Relax, will you? We're perfectly hidden by the hedges."

"Oh yeah? And what if my sister opens her mouth to somebody that Master Riku told me to come out here and it reaches his ears?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there?" He offered her a shameless smile.

"Ventus! I'm serious."

Ventus held his hands defensively and said, "Okay, okay. What's got you so worked up, Lia? Be honest. Is it the mission?" Lia looked down at the ground as she sat down on the edge of the fountain, remaining silent as she did so. Ventus joined her and placed a hand on her knee, which she did not swat away. "You know you can talk to me about anything."

She nodded and then placed her head on his shoulder as she slipped her fingers through the spaces between his. "It's going to be my first time outside of this world in three years. I don't think that Master Aqua made the right call by picking me. Sure, I've been an apprentice the lo-" She paused for a moment and then shook her thoughts away to continue, "for the longest, but Gia has far more experience in other worlds than I do. Even Marta has more experience."

"That's true but you're the most level-headed. We didn't make a mistake when we picked you to lead. Riku didn't say it just because he's your master and I definitely didn't say it because I'm your boyfriend." She gave him a skeptical look. "What? I'm serious." That look didn't go away. "Okay, maybe I did a little bit but can you blame me for wanting you to succeed?"

Lia sighed and smiled softly. "No, I guess I can't. I just...really don't want to screw up the mission. You and Master Riku might not be too hard on me but Master Aqua doesn't have a personal attachment to me. She might never let me leave from this world again if things don't go well." Ventus chuckled which made her look up at him. "What's so funny?"

"Aqua would never do that. She understands more than anyone that making mistakes can happen on a mission, especially on important ones. Those are the ones you learn the most from. Look, you've prepared for this day for the past three years of your life. You'll do amazing and to show you that I think so too, I actually made something for you."

Lia eyed Ventus curiously with the tilt of her head as he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a star-shaped charm made of bright emerald green glass. Ventus gestured for Lia to take it but she looked at it wide-eyed in disbelief, unable to take it.

"Isn't that the wayfinder you placed on Master Eraqus' tribute?"

Ventus smiled and shook his head, "No, I made this one myself. The same way that Aqua gave me and Terra our wayfinders to symbolize an unbreakable bond, I want to give this one to you." He took Lia's hand by the back and flipped her palm face up to place the wayfinder on top. It was very small, small enough for her to close her fingers over it.

Lia could not believe it so all she did was just look into his eyes, again, captive by their glow. Finally, she smiled at him and tilted her head up to kiss him. He pressed his lips back against hers, moving them this time. Lia placed one of her hands on the side of his face and he put his on the small of her back, pulling her as close to him as possible. When they broke the kiss Lia rested her head against the crane in Ventus' neck once more and buried her body under his arm. The two sat just like that for some time until they decided to go back to their rooms.

* * *

 **Location:** The Ocean Between

The large expanse of space between worlds was, despite being vibrant and colorful, teeming with darkness and its denizens. This is why Sari, Jack, and Rickson were flying through the lanes in between the worlds on their Keyblade Gliders with the protection of their Keyblade Armor to shield their bodies and their hearts from the invading darkness that surrounded them. It would consume them at the first opportunity that it had, but the trio were safe as they journeyed to Crescentia.

Of the three apprentices, Rickson was the most relaxed. They had the time, after all, before they would reach Crescentia. That is why he had taken the opportunity to lay back on his glider, kick his feet up on the ship's wheel, and pull out his guitar, strumming and humming as he flew through the Ocean Between.

Suddenly, however, he was knocked from his peace by a Gummi Block nailing him on the head. Rickson caught it just in time, considering Chip and Dale would be angered if they learned he lost them a Gummi Block, and turned to glare at the culprit. Despite most of her face being covered, the sweet smile that Sari wore was clearly visible. Rickson felt his veins turn to ice. _This can't be good_ , he thought.

"Ricky, dear, we're currently under attack…" Sari started to say, her voice as sweet as honey, when her eyes suddenly sharpened and her smile vanished as she glared at him. "So would you mind HELPING PLEASE?!"

It was only then that Rickson thought to look at his surroundings to find that there was a horde of wolf-like heartless chasing after them. His eyes widened from astonishment as he yelled, "Heartless?! Hey don't look at me!"

"I'm not accusing you!" Sari yelled back as she leaned into the handle of her scooter-shaped glider, applying more power into the thrusts to take off.

"Oh, right…" Rickson fumbled in his seat as he pulled his guitar over so that it rested on his back, took hold of the ship's wheel, and channeled his energy into it to make his motorcycle-like glider move more quickly. Up at the very front was Jack, in his go kart-like glider, guiding his allies towards the icy asteroid field that surrounded Arendelle. Both Sari and Rickson followed him through the field, maneuvering around the large rocks that floated nearby. Unfortunately for them, the heartless pounced from asteroid to asteroid in hot pursuit. They danced around the field with their shadowy tails trailing behind them like a flickering torch flame.

As one of the Heartless pounced on Sari, Rickson yelled out, "No!" The Heartless seemingly slowed its advances which provided enough time for Rickson to ram his glider into the Heartless' side, sending it flying in some direction.

"Thank you!" Sari shouted as she kept her focus on the asteroids that floated in front of her and the enemies that continued chasing them.

"That's all I get?" Rickson asked, teasingly, not far behind her.

"If you haven't noticed, we're in-" She paused to whip her glider at an incoming Heartless but continued when she planted her feet on her vehicle, "the middle of something!"

"Fine, fine" Rickson said nonchalantly. "So what are these things called?" he asked as he whipped his glider to knock one of the Heartless away.

"I've never encountered Heartless like these. They seem to be purebloods."

"I say we call them Wolf Shadows!" Jack called back.

Rickson responded, "Nah, it needs to be more creative like Night Howlers."

"Taken," Sari called back.

"There's a Heartless like that already?"

"No! Nevermind, it's a long story."

"What about Shadowlers?" Jack suggested.

"Sha-what now?" Rickson asked.

"Guys, we should focus!" Sari called as she narrowly dodged one of the Heartless' claws.

"Yeah, cause that's a stupid name," a man said mockingly, his voice teeming with disgust. "They're called Dark Howlers, dummies."

None of the apprentices recognized the voice so they looked around only to find a muscular man in black leather with short grey hair flying at top speeds on his motorcycle-like vessel. He wore a malicious grin as he dove towards them, amused by the shocked looks on their faces. The man pulled back his left fist to charge the taser on his gauntlet and slammed it onto Rickson's glider, which made the young man lose control.

"Rickson!" Sari called out as she took a nosedive to protect Rickson from the incoming Dark Howlers. Just as she neared Rickson, the man readied another attack, this time intended for Sari. Luckily for her, Jack came from behind and slammed his glider into the man's vessel which prevented the attack. This allowed Sari to cast Reflera on Rickson, encasing him inside a transparent crystallized bubble. The Dark Howlers bit and clawed at the barrier, unable to make a scratch on it.

Inside the reflera, Rickson could only see ravaging monsters whirling around him like a dark cyclone. Unable to stop spinning inside the reflera, he began to panic. His eyes shut from anxiety and he gripped the side of his helmet as he yelled out, "Go away!"

The man looked on in awe is as the Dark Howlers disappeared around Rickson. This left him open for another attack from Jack but the apprentice was clipped in the shoulder by a bullet, causing him to flinch from the shock. Sari turned her attention away from Rickson to find another man on a motorcycle, this one with long silver hair.

"Having some trouble, Loz?" the long-haired man asked.

"Bug off, Yazoo! These runts are mine."

A volley of fireballs sprouted from Sari's hand, crashing into Loz and Yazoo. This singed their skin a bit but they were much more resilient than they appeared. They were not average humans. In fact, they were very agitated super humans. Loz yelled as he put power into his vehicle and rushed Sari and Rickson with a charged punch. Sari quickly set up another Reflera around herself and Rickson and yelled to Jack, "Run! Call the masters!" Loz's punch caused a large explosion on Sari's barrier which sent them flying off into the distance. Sari maintained the barrier until the constant whirling made her pass out from dizziness, in turn, dispelling her Reflera.

Just as Loz was about to take off after them, Yazoo said, "Leave them. We can deal with them at our leisure. We can't let this one get away and call for help."

Loz had to fight the urge to go after the other two but he finally resigned and said, "Fine!" He then shot Jack a smug smirk as more Dark Howlers spawned somewhere behind the duo and targeted Jack. The short young man looked around for Rickson and Sari, unsure of where exactly they drifted off to but when he could not find them, he decided it best to do as Sari said and call for help but first, he had to get as far away from Loz and Yazoo as possible. He turned his glider around and applied as much power as possible to the vehicle but he could hear Loz and Yazoo revving their engines too. To make matters worse, the Dark Howlers were quickly catching up to Jack. He could hear their snarls growing louder by the second.

Off to the side, Jack could see something dazzling making its way towards him. It curved around him, eliminating the Dark Howlers before returning to its origin like a boomerang. Further ahead, Jack could see someone riding a vehicle similar to his pursuers', but this person wore protective armor and a helmet. The stranger caught the blade with one hand and slipped it into one of the motorcycle's compartments.

"Get as far away from here as possible!" the man yelled as he passed by Jack.

Jack was tempted to turn around to help him face Loz and Yazoo or even to search for Sari and Rickson but he had to get somewhere safe to make the call to the Land of Departure.

* * *

 **Location:** The Land of Departure - Castle - Aqua's Room

Aqua's room was very well kept. She dusted the shelves, shined the furniture, and swept and mopped the floors herself, afterall. Outside of training her apprentices, there was not much to do around the castle, though Silva made sure her day was never boring. Aqua's room faced the direction of the moon so it was often bathed in a white light at night, which would sometimes keep her up and sometimes her daughter too.

That night, she could not sleep but not because of the moonlight. The call she received from Jack had her worried. She was right that something was coming but she had no idea what and considering that some of the oldest apprentices at the Land of Departure were defeated with such ease, she was reasonably worried about whether they were ready to face whatever was on its way.

"Two silver-haired men who didn't need any sort of protection from the darkness. Could they be connected to…" Aqua shuttered at the thought of the old man.

She looked out through the window at the full moon, watching as small dark clouds would try to eclipse it. At one point, there were enough of them to dim the moonlight for a moment. Aqua let out a sigh before allowing herself to fall onto her bed. Air rushed under the sheets, making bubbles form but those bubbles quickly deflated. Her arms were stretched out wide as she still held her gummi phone in her hand.

"Is Mommy okay?" Silva asked, sitting up from where she laid beside her mother to look down at her instead.

"Mommy's okay, just stressed, baby girl." Aqua smiled softly.

"Don't worry, Mommy! I'll protect you from the monster!" Silva proclaimed.

"Heheh, thank you, baby girl." Aqua chuckled as she grabbed her daughter and held her against her chest, sighing as her comfortable weight settled on her chest.

With everything going on Aqua needed to take a breath. She needed to think about something that would put her to ease and when she began contemplating, her mind drifted to a particular person. She had not seen him in so long, not since before the absolute bundle of joy in her arms had come into existence, but she had the ability to speak to him at her fingertips. After debating it for a few minutes, Aqua brought her gummi phone to her face and searched for the man's name. She dialed it hoping to see his face but all she saw was the word "Disconnected" in large white letters. Aqua let her arm fall to the side as she whispered to herself, "Please be okay."

"Mommy thinking about Daddy?" Silva questioned. Aqua paused, not sure what to say. "Don't worry, Mommy! Daddy's strong! He'll be okay and come home to us soon!"

Suddenly, before she could say a word in response and as if in answer to her daughter's words, her gummi phone began ringing so she brought it in front of her face with lightning reflexes and hit the answer button without seeing who it was. "Terra?!" she shouted, partly hopeful, partly concerned.

Instead, the auburn hair and cobalt eyes appeared on Aqua's screen. It was her friend, Kairi, who also seemed distressed.

"Terra?" Kairi asked. "Aqua, were you expecting a call from him? I-I'm so sorry! I can call back if you'd like me to."

"Aunt Kai!" Silva called out and the red haired woman briefly waved at the little girl, though the movement was tense and not nearly as enthusiastic as it normally was.

Aqua shook her head, "No, no. I just...nevermind. Is everything okay, Kairi?"

"Actually Aqua, it's not. Sora didn't come home the last two nights." Aqua could see that it was already morning for Kairi.

"Uncle Sora?" Silva gasped. "But he promised he'd visit soon!"

"Sora is missing?" Aqua clarified, petting her daughter's hair to calm her.

"Yes. Yesterday, I called Tidus and Wakka to see if he spent the night with either of them but they said that he didn't. I asked around for him all over town and I even went to our island to see if he was there but I can't find him. I'm really worried about him. He's been distant lately but this...he's never done this and I-I don't know what to do…" Kairi was on the verge of tears, barely able to finish her sentences without her voice cracking. "No one has seen him anywhere. I'm beginning to think that he's not on this world anymore."

"He's not answering his phone?" Kairi shook her head. "Should I tell Riku to go to Destiny Islands to help you look for him?" Again, Kairi shook her head.

"I already called Roxas. He and Xion are going to come with me to look for Sora. Riku has a lot of responsibilities on his plate. I don't want him to just abandon everything. The rest of us can handle this. I just...I just wanted to fill you in. I know I'm asking a lot of you by keeping this between us but I want to tell Riku when I feel that I should tell him."

"When would that be?" Aqua asked.

"Either when we've found Sora or when I can't keep it from him any longer."

"Kairi, I really don't feel comfortable keeping this from him. How can I teach my apprentices the value of teamwork when I can't even be honest with my fellow master? What would I be showing them?"

"Blame it on me?"

"Kairi, I-"

"Aqua, please? I know that I'm putting you in a difficult position but I really don't want to bother Riku. I promise that I will tell him about this. I'll explain that this was all my idea and that you have nothing to do with this. I'll even explain it to your apprentices. Yes, honesty is important, but so is maintaining harmony."

"Aunt Kai! Lying is bad! You'll be grounded!" Silva warned, very concerned for her aunt's possible punishment.

"I know, sweetie, but I'll take my punishment, just like you always do." Kairi tried to smile.

Aqua stared at Kairi, slightly frustrated and annoyed by her request but in the end, she felt like Kairi had a point. Aqua told her, "Again, I really don't feel comfortable doing this but I will keep this between us. I won't even tell Ventus. I don't think it would be right to tell him but keep it from Riku. As for the blame, I'll take it all on myself. I am making this decision."

"Aqua, I don't-"

"Kairi, this is the only way I will agree to this."

With a sigh, Kairi nodded and said, "Okay, but can we at least leave that condition to be discussed later?"

Aqua pursed her lips. Maybe it had something to do with Kairi's unique powers but she could not bring herself to say no to the younger woman. With a sigh, she said, "Kairi, I'm going to trust that the three of you can bring Sora back."

Kairi's lips curled into a smile, "You can count on me! Thanks, Aqua!"

"Mommy…?" Silva asked, looking up at her distressed mother.

"Don't worry, baby girl. Mommy and Aunt Kairi will take care of everything. You just trust us." Aqua reassured. "Now, time for sleep, okay?"

"Okay!" Silva smiled with a nod. She then laid down with a whispered 'good night'. Aqua just sighed. She hoped she was doing the right thing...and that her too trusting daughter wouldn't suffer from this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we are! Now for some fun explanations!
> 
> That very first scene, the game the apprentices are playing? That was based on a game shown in episode four of the anime, Assassination Classroom. I was watching the anime again right around the time this reboot was being thought up and that game stuck with me, especially when I was thinking of how to originally start this chapter, since Legacy and I agreed that I knew the OCs better so I would be the one to start this chapter.
> 
> And MAN, did this chapter turn out long! I had no idea how many words were in it until editing it, but I knew it was pretty long. Legacy and I just kept writing, heh. I don't know if every chapter will be this long, but we'll keep working and give out just as good quality as I think we did here. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Legacy and I have quite the plan for this story, lots and lots of things to come! This is probably gonna end up a huge epic, and I cannot wait to see the finished product and your guys' reactions to every twist we pull (and trust me, there's a lot *evil laughter*)


	3. The First Step

**Chapter 2: The First Step**

* * *

**_Location:_ ** _Baron - Castle Ballroom_

_She fingered the fine dark blue, gold and light purple silks she wore, so rare was she to ever be seen in them._

_But, well, she supposed saving the world counted as a special occasion. Her mother had certainly thought she'd ought to dress up nicely. And so, she wore the colors of her country, her ceremonial kimono feeling odd in the absence of her usual, preferred, and combat friendly clothes._

_To distract herself from how out of place her kimono felt on her skin, she looked around the ballroom instead._

_As was tradition, the royal family and nobles of each kingdom had come together to celebrate the saving of the world. She could see those from Fabul wearing beautiful cheongsams and elaborately designed sashes, while those from Baron wore white and blue, favoring obviously formal wear, considering she knew Cecil and Rosa usually wore armor instead. Those from Troia wore delicate chitons that she would_ never _wear while the representatives of Damcyan wore clothes that were meant to keep them cool in the desert._

_She could see Anahita and her cousin, Merlane, standing off to the side, Merlane supporting his cousin. She also spotted Ursula and Ceodore speaking in quiet whispers, out of sight of her parents, but probably directly in his parents'. Palom and Porom were talking with Leonora about some trip they planned to bring her on, one they hoped would benefit Mysidia (or at least, Porom did)._

_She smiled as she turned to see her parents speaking with Cecil and Rosa, her father enthusiastic yet surprisingly calm while her mother was elegant yet down to earth in a way many ladies of the court couldn't be. She could also see Kain speaking, almost awkwardly, to Izayoi, looking as uncomfortable as she herself felt. Not far from them stood Yang and Sheila, enthusiastically talking with the remaining Eblan Four, probably about some training regime. And in a corner of the room, she could see Edward and Takara speaking with her brother, Arslan, and his wife, Etoile, as well as Harley, or maybe a lecture from Harley instead, who knew. And then there was Luca, her father Giott, Cid and Mid speaking near the dessert table that had been set up, probably about some machinery or other._

_But as she continued to look around, she couldn't find one person. Growing concerned, she made her way over to her parents._

_"Mom, Dad, where's my sister?" She questioned. Her sister couldn't be left on her own for long, after all._

_Her parents, however, didn't answer. Instead, their eyes went over her head, as if they didn't see her…_

* * *

**Location:** The Land of Departure - Castle

There was a loud banging on Lia's door, waking both the twins from their sleep. Lia turned her lamp on and rushed to answer the door. Gia was still rubbing the dreariness from her eyes. It was Riku who had banged on her door. He was already dressed for combat and his face was very serious.

"Master? What has happened?" Lia asked with concern.

"Lia, Gia, plans have changed. We're going to conduct a rescue mission. I'll explain in the grand hall. Meet me there in ten minutes. I'm going to wake up Marta and Ryo."

"Ryo?" Lia questioned out loud. Riku had already made his way own the hall to collect the other apprentices.

"Wait, so am I going too?" Gia asked.

"I think we can assume so. We better get ready."

"Right!"

Just as they had been instructed, the twins were ready in ten minutes, though Lia had taken slightly longer than Gia. They were patiently waiting for Ryo with Marta and the masters. Due to the early morning hour, Silva was nowhere in sight and Aqua and Ventus were both still in their nightwear, something Gia couldn't stop thinking about. It made her want to laugh because of how unprecedented it was to see one of the masters in such casual attire. There was Lea, but he was...Lea. Speaking of Lea…

Gia looked around for her master, which Ventus caught. "He's already left for his mission," said the blonde.

"He didn't even say goodbye. Rude…"

Ventus chuckled and said, "That's Lea for you."

Lia nudged Gia and whispered, "Remember, we're in the presence of masters. Please be more professional."

Gia whispered back, "Huh? Oh! Right!" She then straightened out her posture to resemble a good soldier.

The sound of boots stepping on marble echoed through the halls and soon, Ryo appeared in a rush, getting his gauntlets adjusted onto his hands. He stopped next to Marta and turned to face the masters.

"I sincerely apologize for my tardiness, masters!" he said with a bow.

Ventus smiled and raised a hand of forgiveness in response. With that, Riku began explaining the situation to the apprentices. He told them that Sari's team had been attacked while they flew through the Ocean Between. "I'm going to be taking the four of you to Crescentia where we will rendezvous with Jack. From there, I'm going to go with him to look for Sari and Rickson. The four of you will stay with the Highwind and do some information gathering on Crescentia. See if anyone there knows what happened to the materia. We're going to use a warp gummi to reach Radiant Garden where we can get another from a mechanic there. Once we get that warp gummi, we can do another jump into the Misty Stream Galaxy. From there, we're headed into the Etherium Galaxy, where Crescentia is. Is this understood?"

"Yes, master!" the four apprentices chorused.

"Let's move." Riku led them down into the ship hangar, hidden inside the mountain that the castle sat atop.

Lia was at the back of the group and before she could follow them, Ventus pulled her back with a firm, yet gentle grasp on her bicep.

"Master…?" Lia questioned, though her eyes were alight with hidden panic. What was he _doing_?

But Ventus simply smiled and placed a small, white box in her hand, closing her fingers around it.

"Just in case...he'll keep you safe." He smiled before he let her go, then yelled out to the whole group, "Good luck everyone!"

Lia simply tucked the box in her jacket pocket and ran after the rest of the group, falling into step easily as they reached the hanger.

Once everyone had taken their seats in the Gummi Ship, Riku prepared the ship for take off. The hangar door opened to reveal the dawning sky which Riku couldn't help, but grin at. His face straightened out as he focused on the task before him, blasting off from the platform and into the sky.

* * *

**Location:** Destiny Islands - The Secret Place

Kairi was silent as she knelt beside the wall of the Secret Place, her hand resting on the spot where her and Sora's faces had been carved into the wall. Whereas she had been smiling when talking with Aqua, now Kairi's expression was so morose, she doubted anyone would think she was the same person if they saw her in both instances.

Not that she thought anyone could blame her, her boyfriend had basically vanished and she had no idea where he had gone. Though, that wasn't the only reason Kairi was acting the way she was.

She just...she should've noticed something if Sora had been planning to leave again or if he was in danger. Just because the two of them had decided to return to Destiny Islands after... _that,_ didn't mean that they wouldn't be targeted by or involved with the next time the darkness decided to act. And the fact was that Kairi _didn't_ notice and she _hated_ herself for it, she was a failure of a friend and girlfriend!

But that was also why Kairi had let Roxas, Xion, and Aqua know what was going on. She was going to find Sora and fix her mistake and, if he _had_ left to save the worlds again, force him to take her with him because she was not staying behind again, not after everything.

"I'll find you, I promise." Kairi whispered to her drawing of Sora, her thumb rubbing against the drawing of the paopu fruit Sora's drawing of her held up to him.

Just then, her gummi phone rang in her capris pocket and the redheaded Princess of Heart turned away from the wall, tucking a strand of shoulder-length red hair behind her ear as she took the phone out to answer the call.

"Hello?" She answered as Xion's face appeared.

"Hey, Kairi." Xion answered, her smile welcoming and understanding. "Roxas and I just landed the gummi ship on the hidden side of the island."

"Right, I'm on my way. Thanks Xion." Kairi nodded with a smile of her own.

Xion shook her head and said, "Don't worry about it. We'll see you soon." The screen went black.

Kairi wasted no time after that, making her way out of the Secret Place and towards the hidden side of the island, the only place a Gummi Ship could be parked without scaring the other islanders who had no idea there were other worlds (as Donald constantly reminded Sora, they couldn't damage the world order even on their own world).

Sure enough, when she got there, she found Xion standing outside the Gummi Ship, waiting for her. Roxas was probably inside, at the cockpit because, as much as he would deny it, he loved flying the Gummi Ship as much as Sora did.

"Kairi!" Xion said excitedly as she opened her arms to hug her friend. "It's been so long."

"Yeah, it has," Kairi admitted. "I wish we could've reunited under better circumstances."

Xion's smile softened as she responded, "So do I, but don't worry. As soon as we find that goofball, we'll force an explanation out of him."

This made Kairi smile as a look of determination appeared on her face. "Yeah!"

"Ready?" Xion asked.

"Yeah. Let's go find Sora."

"You got any idea on where to reach him then?" Roxas questioned as the women walked into the cockpit and took their seats. "Cause I can't get any sense from him."

"What?" Kairi's eyes widened, to which Roxas grunted a 'yes'.

This just became a lot more serious. After Namine had been separated from Kairi and Roxas from Sora, they had all still been able to sense their respective counterpart's emotions, even more so if they were in a stressful or dangerous situation. But if Roxas couldn't sense _anything_ from Sora, that meant that Sora was consciously blocking Roxas out, or...Kairi didn't even want to _think_ of the other option. Without realizing it, Kairi was beginning to shake from the anxiety that came with that thought. She bit down on her bottom lip...hard.

"Hey, calm down." Xion said, holding Kairi's hands gently in her own fingerless gloved ones. "It's not the end of the world if Roxas can't get a sense on Sora. That just means only your heart can guide us to him. You can do this, Kairi."

"Right…" Kairi took a deep breath before she closed her eyes, searching for the bond she associated with Sora in her heart. Similar to what Roxas said, she noticed that it was a bit harder to locate Sora through their bond, but...there! It was faint, but she could sense him. "I know where to go."

"You got a gateway for us then?" Roxas asked, turning to her with a teasing smirk. "Cause otherwise, we're kinda stuck, Kai."

Kairi rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him before she summoned Destiny's Embrace. "Hold on, Sora. We're coming." She swore as she extended her Keyblade and it emitted a beam of light, opening a gateway that would lead them to Sora.

"Good job, Kairi!" Xion grinned as she returned to her own seat.

"Yeah, nice job." Roxas smiled as he laid his hands on the controls. "Now, let's go get Sora."

"Yeah!" Kairi nodded, hope filling her heart.

Maybe...this wouldn't be so bad after all. Maybe, just maybe, this would just be a quick trip to find Sora and back home from there. Kairi hoped so desperately. As the ship rose into the sky and passed through the gate, Kairi was amazed by the brilliant white light that shined around them. She had witnessed this before when Sora would open a gate, but this was the first time that she herself had opened one. It was invigorating to see what she was capable of doing.

"Hope you two buckled in," Roxas said as he slowly pushed a lever forward. The Gummi Ship began to accelerate through the gateway, picking up more and more speed with each passing second. Kairi could feel her back pressing into her chair and soon, she was unable to move from the sheer speed at which Roxas was flying the ship. She managed to move her head slightly to the side to find Xion looking back at her with a shameful smile and an eyeroll. She must have gotten used to his piloting by then. Kairi wanted to get to Sora as quickly as possible but in that moment, all she wanted to do was stay alive.

* * *

**Location:** The Ocean Between - Just Outside Radiant Garden

After a couple hours of flying through the Ocean Between, Roxas finally exited the channel that they had been flying through. Before the world came into view, Kairi felt a familiar warmth, like a connection she had in her heart had grown stronger. They were approaching a very familiar world with blue soil, magenta skies, and a large castle sitting in the center of the city. Roxas, Xion, and Kairi all looked at each other with puzzled looks.

The black-haired girl asked, "Why would Sora be in Radiant Garden?"

Kairi said, "That's a good question. He would've told me if he came to visit Leon and the others. We should check the outlands for him. I'd prefer to avoid Namine."

"You think she would tell Riku?" Xion asked. "They don't even talk since they broke up."

"No, but I don't want to put her in that position."

Roxas responded, "Yeah, I understand. I'll lower us." Roxas said as he flew them in closer, making sure to keep the gummi ship away from the city. He landed the Gummi Ship in the canyon that stretched between the familiarity of Radiant Garden and Maleficent's castle, using the rock formations as cover to prevent anyone from recognizing the ship.

Once they were landed safely, Xion turned to Kairi with a smile. "Well, now that we've survived the first obstacle of this journey, what do you say to us doing some leg work to find Sora?" She asked.

"I'm in, let's go." Kairi nodded, her face entirely serious and worry shining obviously in her sapphire blue eyes.

Roxas didn't like that look, not one bit. So, he made a point of being quiet until they exited the ship and then…"Xion, did you just refer to my flying as an obstacle?"

"What else would you call that? We practically died a couple times," Xion teased, her gratitude of him catching on sparkling in her own eyes. The real reward, however, was the small giggle Kairi let out. And, just to encourage her, Roxas sighed, longsufferingly.

"Good to know the way we always manage to catch our targets so fast is an obstacle in your mind." He drawled sarcastically.

"Not my fault you crash so much~" Xion sing songed right back at him.

Kairi only laughed more and that pulled Roxas' own lips up into a smile. Sharing a look with his partner, he saw she was smiling just the same, relieved that the dark cloud hanging over their red headed friend was dissipating, if only for a moment.

**Location:** Radiant Garden - Maleficent's Castle

From the base, Maleficent's Castle had quite the imposing effect on a person with its five warped towers. It appeared as though it had been built atop a ruined city which seemed to have been empty long before Radiant Garden had been built. _Maybe, this is why the world was called Hollow Bastion,_ Kairi thought to herself.

Roxas rested a hand on the redhead's slender shoulder, which drew her attention to him. "You okay?" he asked. Kairi couldn't help, but smile at him. She could see Sora in him, finding comfort in his concerned eyes.

Kairi simply nodded and said, "Yeah. It's just that this place...I get a bad feeling from it."

"Well with a name like Villain's Vale, that's understandable," Xion responded. "This place reeks of darkness so we better be on our guard. Maleficent might not be here anymore but she might've left some of her friends inside."

"Right," the others said in unison. All three summoned their Keyblades and entered with caution.

It was pitch black inside so Kairi took point and channeled some of her light energy into Destiny's Embrace, making it glow at its tip to brighten their way. Roxas and Xion both held their respective keyblades, Two Become One and Oathkeeper, with a firm grip. Over the years since they had become their own persons, Roxas never grew past Sora's crouched fighting stance, but Xion had adopted a single-handed hold.

The trio worked their way through the ruin, Roxas and Xion making drawing a mental map in their heads all the while. There were strange markings on the walls, resembling various things like people, animals, and some unidentifiable symbols. It was an archaic written language that none of them were familiar with in the slightest. In all of their travels, Roxas and Xion had never come across similar markings, especially since their trips to Radiant Garden were reserved for information gathering from their allies. No one ever bothered to come to Maleficent's castle for any reason, except for the horde of heartless that the three found in a large chamber, seeming to be at the highest point in the ruins and the access point to the castle built atop them. Their beady yellow eyes poked through the deep shadows beyond Kairi's light.

Roxas held his hand out, whirling his keyblade in a circle in front of him, before launching a small beam of light that flew across the room until it hit one of the Soldiers, knocking the creature off balance and allowing the warriors to see the enemies in front of them. The heartless began to stir, most notably, the Large Bodies that began to charge forward.

Roxas charged forward and called out, "Xion!"

The girl nodded as she threw her keyblade like a tomahawk and it ricocheted off a Large Body's stomach, allowing Roxas to catch it and use both Two Become One and Oathkeeper to guard against the heartless, making it stagger back. Roxas charged himself with light energy before pushing forward to zigzag around the Large Body and strike it in its weak spot on it back. With an x-shaped slash of light, Roxas made quick work of the monster.

While Roxas fought that Large Body, Xion and Kairi unleashed a barrage of light spells on the other heartless, lighting the room with streaks of white. Xion called out to Kairi and said, "Keep up the fire! I'm going in!"

"You don't have a Keyblade!"

"Roxas, would you care to fix that?"

Roxas nodded before tossing Oathkeeper backwards for Xion to wield. Kairi then gave Xion a nod, covering the black-haired girl as she quickly weaved through room, slashing away at any and all heartless that she set her eyes on.

Kairi understood that her role in the fight was to shine as much light inside the room as possible and if she managed to hit some enemies, then that was only advantageous, but missing targets would incite internal frustration. There were a couple times that she missed a heartless and Roxas or Xion would have to cover the other because of it. The others seemed to have everything covered for the most part, having dealt with the Large Bodies very early on in the altercation. As the number of Soldier heartless dwindled, Kairi began to feel more at ease. There were nine, then eight, then five, then three, and then two. Xion threw her Keyblade to slice through the Soldier before summoning it back in her hand.

The last Heartless ran from both Roxas and Xion, towards Kairi. They were about to use ranged attacks to strike it down but Kairi called out, "No! I've got this one!" She gathered light energy in her Keyblade to create enough light so that she could see the approaching enemy. She then pointed the weapon at it and fired her Flower Shoot attack at it. The shining ball of energy flew past the heartless and crashed on the ground behind it. Kairi noticed something odd about that Soldier - its skin was green. As soon as the attack flew past it, the Heartless changed directions and ran away from Kairi as well. She grimaced, disappointed in herself for not being able to hit her target.

Roxas and Xion shared a look before moving to corner the heartless, their keyblades lit with energy. Roxas explained to Kairi, "Kai, this Heartless is called a Deserter. It's not like normal Soldier heartless."

"Deserter? Why is it - wait a minute! It's running away from us."

"Bingo," Xion said. "So who should do the honors?" she asked Roxas.

"W-wait!"

Xion and Roxas both turned to Kairi who kept her gaze on the Deserter. The monster took notice of this and lunged at Xion only for Kairi to jump in to protect her friend, blocking the monster's claw with her weapon.

"Kairi, what was that about?" Xion asked.

Roxas was about to slash it when Kairi yelled, "Don't!"

"Seriously, what gives?" Roxas asked.

Kairi pushed the Deserter off and she answered, "It might be a Heartless but it doesn't want to fight."

"I beg to disagree from the looks of it." Roxas answered.

Kairi shook her head and said, "It's trying to protect itself like any person would. I may not have as much battle experience as you two, but I know that not everything is black and white - good and evil. Xehanort wasn't."

"Xehanort was a madman," Xion countered.

"Still...Sora told me what he truly wanted. Sure his heart was consumed by darkness, but you mean to tell me that after what you witnessed when he died, that he was purely that? Riku isn't pure light, but he isn't pure darkness either." Kairi dropped her fighting stance and held a hand out towards the Deserter. "I always wondered what exactly it meant to be a Princess of Heart, but now I think I know."

Roxas eyed her confusedly as the young woman began to near the heartless. "Kai, don't get too-" He was cut off by Xion holding her hand out in front of him. Xion looked at him with a discerning look before turning her attention back to Kairi and the heartless. Roxas then did the same.

Kairi continued to near the Deserter, which was oddly very still. It was tense but it did not seem like it would strike back, even when Kairi placed her hand on the creature's helmet. The young woman shuddered at the touch of cold metal, but once she overcame that initial reaction, she closed her eyes and allowed the warmth from her heart to flow through her body and wash over the heartless. Soon, both were engulfed in a warm, bright light that lit up the entire room until it faded, leaving Kairi with another young redheaded woman in her arms.

This young woman had her hair tied into pigtails and her fair skin was darkened by dirt and dust. Her face trembled as she struggled to open her eyes, her body resting against Kairi's. When she finally came to, she said, "Thank you." The young woman had a distinct accent in her voice.

Kairi smiled and said, "You're welcome. Can you move on your own?"

The young woman began to shift against Kairi, trying to find her balance, but when Roxas and Xion's light got in her eyes, she had to shield herself from it.

"Does the light hurt you?" Xion asked.

"It's just a little hard on my eyes," she answered.

When she finally managed to get onto her feet with Kairi and Roxas' help, the blonde asked her, "What's your name?"

"You can just call me Vanille," she responded.

"Where are you from?" Kairi asked.

Vanille looked down and crossed her arms, holding her elbows, as she said, "No where now. My home...it was destroyed long ago, thanks to me…"

"What do you mean?" Kairi asked, her voice soft and considerate. The tone of her voice seemed to strike a chord in Vanille, who met her eyes for a moment before a smile bloomed on her face.

"Never mind. Thank you so much for rescuing me, I thought I'd never be free." She bowed to the Princess of Heart. "I'd be happy to help you if you ever need anything in return."

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind." Kairi smiled. "But for now, why don't we get you back to town and see if there's anything to be found about your home."

"Kairi, I thought you wanted to avoid Naminé."

Kairi nodded and said, "Yeah, that's true but I've been feeling a strong connection to her. I think she already knows that I'm here so there's no use hiding anymore."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." He looked at Vanille and said, "We should get moving before it gets too late anyway. And preferably before more Heartless appear. Can you walk?"

"Yes, I'll be fine." Vanille smiled. "Which way do we go?"

Roxas led the way out while Kairi and Xion each walked on one side of Vanille, forming a protective guard around the mysterious young woman, just in case. The entire time they were moving, not a single word was spoken, for fear of alerting the heartless in hiding to their position. Even so, despite the dark, Kairi could've sworn she could see a lost and guilty expression on Vanille's face when she looked at her from the corner of her eye. But as soon as their eyes met, the look was gone, replaced with a bright smile instead. This young woman was an enigma to Kairi.

* * *

**Location:** Radiant Garden - Outskirts

Gia threw up from the warp. It had been her first time moving through space at such a high speed. Corridors of Darkness were more like doorways from one point in space to another. Warping literally moved every cell in her body from one location to another and it was something her body had not been acclimated to.

Ryo too had never warped before but the jump did not make him vomit. It was seeing Gia vomit that did it for him. Riku looked over his shoulder and apologized, "Sorry about that. I should've warned you two that warping is hard on the body the first time."

"We're supposed to do that twice?" Gia asked as she wiped her mouth with Lia's scarf. The taller twin yanked the scarf from Gia's clutches and looked at the dirty spot with disappointment before glaring at her sister.

"Four times," Riku clarified. "Two one way, two back. You should be used to it by the end of the trip." He unbuckled his belt and stood up to face the apprentices. Before giving any orders, he looked down at the vomit and lurched forward slightly, but quickly covered his mouth with his fist and cleared his throat. Lia quirked an eyebrow and smirked behind her cowl. Noticing this, Riku said, "Lia, make sure to clean this up before leaving the ship." Her smirk dropped as her master began explaining, "I parked the ship just outside the city's gate because despite there being many people in this world who know of the existence of the other worlds, that's not everyone and our number one priority is always to protect the world order. I'm sure Gia can tell you guys that this means keeping this sensitive knowledge to yourselves."

"I can? I mean yes! I can…"

Lia just bowed her head and shook it.

Riku continued, "So this is what's going to happen. It's important for all of you to know who you can trust on outside worlds so you're going to come with me to Cid's shop. That way, any time you have to come out here, you will know exactly where you can find him. He runs a regular accessory shop in the market district, but that's just a front for his Gummi Block business. If you need a specific gummi block, Cid is the guy to get it from and he happens to be a good mechanic so I come to him to install Warp Gummis."

Riku opened the ramp to exit the ship and the apprentices followed behind him. As she stepped onto the ramp, Lia stumbled lightly but she managed to catch herself by holding the ship's inner wall. Ryo reached out to help her but she shook her head and said, "I'm fine. I'm fine. Thank you, Ryo."

"Y-you're welcome," he said as he followed behind her, still cautious in case she were to stumble again.

"Hey, Lia, are you feeling okay?" Marta asked as she turned to Lia, her eyes awake and concerned.

"Yeah, I just didn't get much sleep last night." Lia sheepishly shrugged, looking awkward. It made sense, considering she rarely, if ever, overslept.

"Well must've been that training with-"

Lia quickly covered Gia's mouth and whispered something into her ear. "Please don't finish that sentence. I'll explain later."

Gia looked at her sister with shock, but trusted her.

Marta asked, "Training with?"

"Training without knowing when to stop," Gia said. "You know how much of a workaholic Lia can be. I worry about her, honestly."

Marta eyed Gia with suspicion, studying her features with close intent. Suddenly, her face melted into a dreamy smile as she said, "Yup! That's Lia alright."

"Marta's right though," Gia told Lia. "You took longer than I did to get ready this morning. Wait, did you dream too? Of the ball held in honor of the Creator's defeat, I mean."

"Yeah...yeah, I did." Lia nodded, her own surprise forming as Gia grinned brightly.

"Wasn't that such a fun day? It was really great to have everyone together _without_ a crisis going on, and having Cecil conscious of course!" She chirped happily.

"Yeah. I don't think Anahita enjoyed it much, though." Lia offhandedly commented, sounding lost in thought.

"True, but Merlane was there to help, along with our three Sages-in-training! She was okay!" Gia smiled.

"Um…wait," Ryo said, breaking the conversation. All eyes were on him now, which made him nervous. His eyes darted from left to right as he struggled to form his question, "I was just...um...wondering...uh...how did you two, you know, have the...er...same dream?

"Twin thing," they said together.

"Oh, they've practiced that for sure," Marta said, sounding impressed by them.

"Nope," they responded.

Marta told Ryo, "Oh, they're good. So who are all those people you guys were talking about?"

Gia explained, "Just some people we knew back home. Before we left, we helped save the world and, after everything calmed down, all the nobles insisted we have a celebration ball. Cecil is the dad of one of our friends, while Anahita, Merlane and the Sages-in-training I mentioned were all closer to our age. It was a fun night, despite the stuffy nobles and uncomfortable clothes."

"I'd like to go to a ball like that someday." Marta smiled.

"Maybe you will, once we find our home again! Right, Lia?" Gia whirled around to smile at her sister again.

"Yeah...right." Lia smiled. And if her eyes still seemed unfocused and far away, nobody commented on them.

Some time later, Riku had led the group to an accessory shop just as he mentioned. Inside was an older gentleman with golden blonde hair. There was the distinct smell of smoke in the air and it was plain to see why. The man had a cigarette lit inside his own shop.

"Howdy!" he said with a wave as he walked across the counter to greet Riku. "Woah there, you brought the whole dang daycare this time."

Riku chuckled as he turned to the apprentices and said, "I'd like you all too meet Cid Highwind, the best pilot and mechanic this side of the galaxy."

"Hey, I'm the best pilot and mechanic in the entire galaxy."

Riku's head bounced from side to side as he nodded in partial agreement. He said, "Yeah, I guess I can give you that honor. Anyways, I brought them with me to show them who they can come to if they need anything Gummi-related."

"I take it you need a Warp Gummi from me?"

"Yeah, I need one installed now to replace the one we used to get here and then I'll need another on our way back home. I'll pay upfront for both."

"You got it. Is the ol' rig outside the city?"

"Yeah, where I usually park it."

"Alrighty then, I should have the Warp Gummi installed within the hour."

"Thanks, Cid," Riku said as he paid for the parts and then led the apprentices outside. "Alright, since we've got an hour to kill, we might as well try to do some information gathering. It's doubtful that anyone out here may know about the materia shortage, but you never know so we'll split up and meet back here in an hour. Gia, since you've spent the most time world traveling, I entrust Ryo with you. Lia, you're with Marta."

"Yes, master," they all said.

Lia asked, "Will you be on your own then?"

"That's right. Remember, we meet back here in one hour. Break."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we are! I hope you all enjoyed, Legacy and I spent a lot of time trying to figure this chapter out, since our original plan was scrapped and expanded upon. I'm happy with how this chapter came out and I know Legacy is too. Next chapter, though, is gonna be a LOT of fun. A LOT. But we felt this was a good place to stop, considering the reveals this chapter featured and the introduction of Vanille...among other characters. Vanille is from FF13, in case some of you didn't know! It's been a while since I've written her, so this was fun for me! And I hope you guys enjoy the updated Roxas/Kairi arc that has now become a Roxas/Xion/Kairi arc meant to find Sora! For the record, just so everyone knows, the plans from the original story ARE still in effect, with the added bonus of better writing and story arc structuring. No matter what, the heart of this fic will always be what Legacy and I originally envisioned it to be years ago, finally realized with us being even better than we used to be.


	4. Ansem's Apprentices

**Chapter 3: Ansem's Apprentices**

* * *

**Location:** Radiant Garden - Ansem's Castle - Courtyard

The tip of a cobalt blue spear scraped against Faerie Whitkin's rose pink shaft, creating small sparks every time they clashed. In one clash, Gia and her opponent, Dilan, locked their weapons and their gazes. Gia pressed up against the man's spear with one hand on her keyblade's hilt and the other near the tip as she smiled up at the grimacing man.

Behind her, Ryo held his head with both hands as he stammered, "M-Ms. Gia! Is t-this really what we should be d-doing right now?!"

As Gia was about to answer, one swift thrust of the spear almost jabbed her stomach, but she was quick enough to push against the blade with her own weapon. The girl was caught off balance however, so Dilan, the spear-wielder, pulled back and swiped at her feet. Gia fell backwards, left completely open to a strike from above.

"Ryo!" Gia yelled.

The young apprentice ran forward and with all his might, swung his Starlight Keyblade against the spear's blade. Silver and cobalt scraped against each other, sending sparks into the air. Ryo had narrowly blocked the attack, sparing Gia from a critical hit. As the summoner fell to the floor, Dilan staggered. The boy's swing was much stronger than he expected. Dilan used the momentum given to him by Ryo's strike to spin and distance himself from the two as he put himself into a defensive stance.

"Thanks for the save," Gia said as she got up from the ground.

"Your form leaves much to be desired, Little Sprite," Dilan said as he twirled his spear behind him and placed a foot forward to prepare himself for a sprint.

When Ryo heard the man call her "little," he winced and closed his eyes, expecting Gia to rampage like she did with him on the Land of Departure and that's exactly what she did. The silver-haired woman shouted, "Who are you calling 'little,' Noodle Head?!" She then charged forward with her keyblade raised over her head for a violent slash. Unlike Dilan's insult, Gia's did no kind of damage to the man's composure. In fact, he almost cracked a smile.

When Gia neared Dilan, he readied himself to parry her strike but she took a different approach by using Aerora on herself to leap over her opponent. While in the air, she cast a Fire spell down onto Dilan. The man noticed the tip of her Keyblade as it began to glow brightly with yellow and orange colors so he was prepared to dodge the attack. What he was not prepared for was Gia's next spell as she launched a small yellow ball of light, which flew right past him. Dilan held his spear in front of him to guard but realized that she had missed so he charged forward. That's when he heard her say, "Haste!" By the time he turned around, Ryo was in his face midswing. The man had no choice but to throw himself to dodge the strike.

"Good going, Ryo! You almost got him!"

"That was a crafty little trick, but no amount of magic will turn the tide of this battle." Dilan held his spear forward and pressed a button. Some latches on the spear's handle unlocked and the weapon split into two. He caught the second spear as it transformed itself to become complete and the first did so as well.

"'No amount of magic will turn the tide of this battle'," Gia mocked the man childishly. "Well no amount of spears will turn the tide of this battle, you cowlicked freak!"

"Ms. Gia, sh-should you really be insulting him so much?"

Gia ignored her ally's concerns and charged forward again. "Watch my back, Ryo!"

Dilan began twirling both his spears to make it difficult for his opponents to predict his next attack When Gia was close enough, he slammed the tip of one spear in the ground and used it to lift himself into the air. He then flipped and used the momentum to add extra power behind his spear toss. Dilan's weapon flew across the courtyard that the three were fighting in. It moved so quickly that Gia had to slide to dodge the attack. Dilan sprinted forward and lunged blade-first towards Gia. Ryo also ran forward with his enhanced speed to block another attack but Dilan planted the blade just behind Gia's shoulder to use it as leverage to kick Ryo in the side of the face and send him crashing to the floor. The man then landed with his boots on the ground and twisted to lock Gia by the neck with his spear's handle.

With Ryo knocked down and Gia's pinned, he said in her ear, "You lose."

As Ryo rose to a kneeling position, he watched Dilan nervously. It was then that Dilan let Gia go and walked away to retrieve his other spear.

Gia fell forward onto her hands which caused Ryo to spring forward out of concern. "M-Ms. Gia! Are you okay?"

Gia slammed the ground with the side of her fist. "Darn it! I was so close that time!"

"I had four opportunities to kill you," Dilan stated flatly as he approached the girl and offered her a hand, which she took. "What kind of training is Lea giving you? It seems he isn't keeping you on your toes. Strange considering he was quite adept as a combatant during his time as Axel."

"A-Axel?" Ryo thought aloud. This caught Gia and Dilan's attention which made him sweat.

Dilan nodded curtly and said, "Yes, that was Lea's name while he was a Nobody."

"M-master Lea was a N-Nobody?!"

Dilan responded, "One of the more underhanded and sadistic, at that."

"You're one to talk, Husband of Medusa. I heard you toyed with a certain Princess of Heart," Gia countered with an eyebrow raised.

Dilan put his fist to his mouth and cleared his throat. "Well...yes…" he admitted, "but so did Lea."

"He did?!" Gia asked out of shock.

"I see he hasn't been completely transparent with you. As Axel, Lea kidnapped Kairi."

"M-Ms. Kairi?!" Everything Dilan was telling them completely changed Ryo's perception of Lea. He may not have known the redhead until the day before but he had no idea that a master could have such a dark past.

"That's right. In an attempt to see his best friend and Sora's Nobody, Roxas, Axel took Kairi hostage. He thought that doing so would make Sora look for him, though I'm sure he hadn't thought out how he would retrieve Roxas from inside Sora's heart." Dilan noticed that Ryo seemed to grow more confused as the man spoke to which he said, "You really are new, aren't you?"

"I'll explain on the ship," Gia said.

Dilan nodded. "So what did you want to ask me before we began our sparring match?"

"Oh! Right! Do you know anything about the missing materia?"

Dilan rubbed his chin with his index finger and thumb as he responded, "We did notice the shortage but we have yet to properly investigate the matter. Is this your latest mission?"

"Yeah, that's right," Gia said with a nod. "We have a good idea of what part of the universe we should look in but it's more like a hunch."

"Well, regardless, I have full confidence that the New Order of Keyblade Wielders can resolve this issue."

"Right!" Gia said confidently. She then turned to Ryo and said, "Well, we should return to Cid's shop now."

At that moment, a ringing sound erupted from Ryo's pocket. He pulled out a Gummiphone to which Gia said, "Aw what?! No fair! How does the newbie have one before me?!"

"H-hello?" Ryo asked as he answered Riku's call.

"Ryo, where are you and Gia?"

"By the large castle. We're here with one of Lord Ansem's guards." He then turned the phone to Dilan who saluted to Riku.

Riku said, "Good. Dilan, could you take Gia and Ryo inside? There's been an incident. I'm with the rest of my party in one of the guest rooms."

"Does Mr. Ansem have some information on our mission?" Gia asked.

"Not exactly. It's actually Lia…"

"Lia?! I'm coming sister!" Before Riku could explain anything else, Gia spearheaded to the front door of the castle and waltzed in as if it were her own home.

"W-we'll be right up," Ryo said as he followed Dilan to the castle.

* * *

**Location:** Radiant Garden - Sewer System

Lia honestly still did not understand just how she and Marta got into this situation...all she knew was that she was currently in the sewers, watching some kind of fight.

Two men were fighting. One was a dark skinned man with wild brown hair wearing black shorts with an orange sash and a red headband. He wore no shirt, but there was a large black tattoo right in the center of his chest. The other man was light skinned with light blonde hair wearing a light brown trench coat over jeans and a shirt Lia couldn't see and a black beanie. He also had black gloves to protect his hands.

"You're quite the cocky boy, aren't ya?" The dark skinned man, announced to be Jecht just moments ago, grinned.

"I'm a hero, so I've gotta be." The light skinned man, announced to be Snow, returned. "I need this money, so I can return to the people important to me...so I'm gonna beat you, old man!"

"Heh...a man after my own ideals…" Jecht grinned. "But sorry, boy, ya ain't winning this one!"

The men charged at the same time, punching and blocking as blow after blow came at them. Neither had a weapon but they were very good with their fists. It was like Lia was watching a dance as she observed it all.

When Snow moved to punch Jecht back, the dark skinned man caught his fist before he pulled the blonde man towards him, kneeing him in the stomach once he was close. Snow didn't go down, however, instead using his momentum to twist his body _just_ enough to change the hold from Jecht to himself and flipping the man over his shoulder. Jecht managed to land on his feet, however, and kicked out in an attempt to knock Snow on his back. Snow simply jumped back with a bright grin before landing a good undercut on Jecht's jaw.

The two went back and forth, one after the other, blow after blow, until Jecht managed to hook his leg around Snow's while he restrained the blonde's hand and forced the blonde to the ground. Snow struggled to escape, but the hold Jecht had on him was a sturdy one that couldn't be broken so easily.

"Ya give up, boy?" Jecht smirked.

"Not on your life, old man!" Snow grinned before kicking right in the middle of the older man's knee, giving Snow just enough room to escape. However, before he could get very far, Jecht quickly got up and trapped him in a choke hold.

"Good try, boy. But ya ain't winning this one. Give hell to the next sorry bastard though…" The dark skinned man smirked before he used his hold to slam Snow into the wall hard enough to knock him unconscious.

The referee came out then and raised Jecht's hand in the air, to the cheers of everyone around them. Lia still didn't understand why they were fighting, even as Jecht told Snow he'd get the next unlucky bastard in a fight before he was led away, and she _really_ didn't understand how Marta was fast asleep next to her throughout all of this. Lia knew that it was an uncontrollable condition of hers but the ruckus was not easily ignored.

"Alright then! Who's willing to challenge the champion of the ring? The Sky Splitter and Silent Enemy? Who thinks they can take on the great and mighty...Lexaeus?!" The referee suddenly cried.

Apparently, _that_ yell was enough to startle Marta awake as her hand shot up and her eyes snapped open.

"We will!" She grinned brightly.

"We'll _what_?!" Lia whispered. She tried to get them out of fighting but were ushered into the ring by some very scary-looking men. Lia and Marta could have easily disabled them but they figured that they should keep a low profile.

"Alright! We've got a fight then! Everyone place your bets!" The referee grinned, resembling a shark. Lia didn't like this. "And now...let's get ready to fiiiiiiiiiiiigggggghhhhhhht!"

As soon as the words left his lips, Lia sensed a presence above her and looked up. She froze for only a moment before she roughly pushed Marta aside and jumped aside herself.

Thank the Crystals she moved when she did. As soon as the two apprentices were clear, a man landed right where they had been previously, creating a crack in the floor from the force of his axe-sword.

Lia breathed a sigh of relief as the man straightened up. Perhaps they could handle this...of course, then she saw the man's face and froze. _Shit._ She thought. She remembered hearing about a Nobody in the old Organization XIII who had been named Lexaeus. And this guy...was probably him, given the _giant axe-sword he wielded like it was nothing_. The former Nobody was glaring at her, obviously playing whatever role he was playing, considering he was _not_ wearing his standard uniform, but a simple black tank top and jeans. His iconic orange hair had been dyed a bright violet. She had seen a picture of him once in a portrait in the castle at the Land of Departure. Having heard of such a powerful warrior, she wished to one day come face-to-face with him but facing against him was most decidedly _not good_.

Putting her doubts aside, Lia looked over at Marta and said, "Protect the world order."

Marta already knew that the masters were very protective of the world order and made all of the apprentices swear to work to keep the existence of the many worlds a secret from those who were unaware. They would not be able to use their Keyblades for this fight, not in front of Radiant Garden's scum.

"Ninjutsu Arts: Hidden Armory!" Lia made a hand seal and a large white cloud appeared around her hands. When it disappeared, a long silver katana had magically appeared in her hand. "Marta, stay back. I'll try to open him up for a sleep spell." Marta nodded.

Lia lifted the katana to her chest-level in a reverse grip. She watched Lexaeus intently and he returned the analytical gaze. The spectators began to throw bottles into the ring as they yelled for the fighters to start going at it. When Lexaeus looked over at the crowd, Lia went in for her strike. This did not go unnoticed by the colossal warrior who swung his weapon in a horizontal arc. Lia flipped over Lexaeus and spun upon landing to deliver a wide slash. Lexeaus had predicted this and pulled his axe-sword over his shoulder to protect his rear.

"Now!" Lia yelled.

Marta cast a sleep spell, emitting a wave of mental energy from her hand, which would knock Lexaeus to the ground asleep, or at the very least slow him down. Unfortunately, at the last moment, he side-stepped the entire wave, forcing Lia to Flash Step to avoid the attack, ending up beside Marta once more.

"That was close…" She sighed before glaring at her partner. "Why the hell did you get us into this anyway?!"

"I dunno...fun? I had a dream like this once!" Marta grinned, enjoying all of this _way_ too much.

"Of course…" Lia sighed before she whispered under her breath, "If I got you a weapon, think you can implement your magic into it like with your Keyblade?"

"I think so." Marta nodded. "If I get a solid opening again, of course."

"Then I'll get you one." Lia nodded. "Ninjutsu Arts: Hidden Armory!" In another instance, a white cloud covered her hand and when it faded away, it revealed a second sword, a wakizashi that she slid over to Marta. The drowsy girl lifted it off the ground and held it like she normally would her Keyblade.

Lia coated her blade in gravity magic before launching a small sphere at Lexaeus which connected. As soon as the spell took hold, Lia shot forward, landing a cut on Lexaeus' face with his lowered defense.

Lexaeus grunted before he swiped his axe out at her, catching her arm. Lia grunted from the pain, but managed to not land on that arm and make it worse. Instead, she met Marta's eyes and saw the girl grinning as she waved the wakizashi. Understanding dawned on Lia and she smirked behind her cowl. In unison, the girls shot out and cut Lexaeus' legs.

Lexaeus grunted. "That won't help you," he said lowly.

"Maybe not...but this will!" Marta winked before she snapped her fingers, activating the spell she had imbued in her sword. "Slow!"

Lexaeus grunted as a white light surrounded him and his movements slowed.

"Now, Lia!" Marta cried.

Lia didn't need to ask what she meant, making another hand seal to summon several shuriken which she threw at Lexaeus. This threw him back and trapped him to the wall.

Of course, what she hadn't counted on was a bracelet Lexaeus wore to suddenly glow. When it faded, Lexaeus was now moving normally.

"What?!" Marta cried.

"Shit, a Counter Bracelet!" Lia cursed. "Marta, now!"

Marta shot forward and used Lexaeus' moment of distraction from removing the shuriken to use the wall as leverage to jump up and wrap her legs around his neck, locking tightly. As soon as the former Nobody was free, his hands grasped her legs.

"Not gonna be that easy, Mr. Silent Giant!" Marta grinned before she yawned.

"No, not now!" Lia cried, but it was too late. Lexaeus used Marta's weakened guard to slam her back into the wall, nailing her in the head and leaving her limp. Whether she was asleep or unconscious, Lia couldn't tell. As soon as she was slumped on the ground, however, Lexaeus turned to her and grasped his axe in both hands. Gulping, Lia raised her own weapon, prepared for anything.

Lexaeus ran at her, faster than she expected and batted her sword away as if it was nothing before stabbing his axe in the ground, causing the ground under Lia to rise just the slightest bit, throwing her over his head. Just as she righted herself, she felt Lexaeus grasp her neck and slam her head first into the ground.

As a last ditch effort to _possibly_ survive this fight, Lia raised a hand and whispered a stun spell, causing Lexaeus' arm to go numb at the last moment, thereby lessening the blow Lia was about to suffer. Instead, she only suffered a strong sense of dizziness, instead of a possible concussion. Small mercies, she supposed as she reversed her grip on her katana and stabbed it directly into Lexaeus' leg, sending him kneeling to the ground beside her.

"Lexaeus...you fought...Master Riku...twelve years ago...in Castle...Oblivion…" She whispered as she felt her vision going dark.

However, she was gratified to see the realization settle over Lexaeus' face at her words.

He whispered, "Shit...he's gonna kill me...again."

Lia managed a small chuckle, before everything went dark.

* * *

**Location:** Radiant Garden - Marketplace

Kairi sat in an alleyway with her arms wrapped around her knees and her back against the wall of a church. Her eyes were glued to the floor, trained on a discarded ice cream rapper. Now that she was alone, she began to think - mostly about Sora. She thought about the mission they were on and she wondered where he was and what he was doing. More than anything, Kairi thought about his well being, hoping that he was okay.

The redhead was so lost in thought that she failed to notice when Roxas and Xion approached her. It was only when they stood right in front of her, Xion waving her hand in Kairi's face, that she realized they were there. The bounty hunters understood that Kairi had been lost in thought when her eyes fluttered as she exited her dazed state.

"Hey Kai…" Roxas began. "Everything okay?"

Kairi licked her lips and nodded with a forced smile. "Yeah. I was just thinking about what Vanille told us back in Villain's Vale."

"You mean about her home?" Xion asked.

Roxas added, "Yeah, I wonder what she meant about her home being destroyed."

"Did you guys tell Aerith about that?"

"I pulled Aerith aside while Xion took Vanille to look at some flowers to fill her in on what she said. I doubt that Aerith will push Vanille for any more information that she doesn't volunteer. She should be in good hands with Aerith."

"True…" Kairi said. "Well, we haven't ran into Naminé yet but I feel like her presence is getting stronger and stronger."

"Funny you mention that…"

The three instantly turned around, Kairi wincing as soon as her eyes met Naminé's.

"Hi...Naminé..." The redheaded Princess of Heart smile awkwardly.

Naminé simply glared at her, before sighing. "Not that I'm not elated to see the three of you, but would you care to tell me why you're here?" She asked. "It's not every day that you all visit, especially _without_ a call beforehand."

Roxas and Xion looked at each other uneasily but their attention was drawn to Kairi when the redhead said, "Sora's missing."

Naminé's eyes widened and she automatically moved her hand to her chest. "W-what?! What do you mean he's missing?"

Kairi told Naminé everything. She told her that Sora had not been home the previous night, that they were currently in search of him, and that a small circle of people in their friend group knew.

"Riku doesn't know?" Naminé asked. That was the most confusing part of Kairi's explanation for her.

"If I told him, he'd worry too much and decide to go after Sora himself and he can't do that with all his responsibilities." Kairi shook her head. "I know that things have been a bit uncomfortable between you two, and I know that I'd just be putting you in the middle of this, but Naminé, I-"

Now Naminé shook her head and said, "No need to ask. I owe Riku for giving me a second chance at life but you and I are practically twin sisters, Kairi - even if I wasn't born naturally. That being said, sisters need to have each other's backs."

Kairi moved in to hug Naminé tightly as she whispered with a cracked voice, "Naminé, you're the sister I always wanted."

A warm smile formed on Naminé's gentle lips as she returned the hug and softly ran her hand up and down Kairi's back to comfort her. When the two separated, Naminé placed her hands on both of Kairi's shoulders and asked, "So, what now? What can I do to help?"

Roxas chimed in, "Kairi's heart led us here for a reason. I know you're just hearing about this but could you ask anyone back at the castle if they've had any contact with Sora?"

"I can ask but I need to be careful with who. If I just go around asking all the scientists and guards, it'll raise suspicion. Would you feel comfortable if we went to Master Ansem?"

All eyes were on Kairi. She sighed and said, "I guess there's no way around it at this point."

Naminé rested a hand on Kairi's shoulder. "Kairi, I can't push this onto you so if we go to Master Ansem, I need to be sure that you're okay with it."

Kairi hesitated. The more people that found out about Sora, the worst she felt about keeping this a secret from Riku. It was bad enough that he was not the first person she told but she couldn't even imagine what he would say if he were to be the last. Then again, she had very little direction for this quest. She saw no other option so after taking a deep breath, Kairi looked at Naminé, sure as ever, and said, "Yeah. Let's go to him."

Naminé felt herself relax after finding confidence in Kairi's resolve and with that, she said, "Okay, follow me."

Suddenly, a menacing growl caught all of their attention. It was loud and deep, like that of a beast, but He was on His own home world so it couldn't have been Him. No, this growl came from close by - _very_ close by. Kairi went absolutely stiff as the others looked at her with puzzled expressions. After a quick moment of silence, they all erupted into laughter.

Xion asked, "Kairi have you eaten anything all day?"

Kairi's cheeks were as red as her hair. "Come to think of it, I haven't." She noticed Roxas was still giving her a funny look so she snapped, "What do you want me to say? I've been worried sick over your maker!"

Roxas crossed his arms, a smirk barely noticeable on his face. "Oh, so I should start calling him _Daddy_ now?"

Xion laughed and said, "When we find him, you should totally yell that at him and run to him with arms wide open!" This earned a laugh from the others.

As Naminé's laughter died down, she offered the others lunch. "I know you're all in a hurry and such but let's get something to eat at Scrooge's Bistro."

"He has one here too?" Kairi asked.

Roxas nodded. "He put one here like two years ago."

"Oh wow."

"What is it, Kairi?" Xion asked.

"Well it's just that I never realized until just now how long it's been since I've even been _off_ of Destiny Islands. After Sora and I left the Land of Departure, we never really found a need to go to other worlds." Kairi's gaze fell as she looked at one of the nearby barrels that sat against one of the stone walls. Kairi then looked back up at Naminé and said, "Anyways, you know that I can't risk being caught by Isa or anyone else that we know, right? We can't just have lunch out in the open. I appreciate it though, Naminé."

"How about this? I take you three to Master Ansem through the secret passages and while you guys talk, I'll go prepare you some lunches for the trip?"

Kairi smiled and said, "Thanks, Naminé. I really appreciate it." The two smiled at each other before walking with Roxas and Xion towards the castle, making sure to stay away from the main roads and walkways. Kairi knew she was going into the belly of the beast but Naminé did an excellent job of not being detected as they slithered their way through the city and inside the castle.

* * *

**Location:** Radiant Garden - Ansem's Castle

While Riku was undergoing his investigation of the missing materia, he received a phone call from Ienzo who told him that two of his students were at the castle. Ienzo had treaded carefully with his words but Riku put it together pretty easily that Lia and Marta had gotten into it with Aeleus for some reason. Before making any judgments, he was going to make sure the girls were okay and get the facts. He was level-headed like that.

Riku was greeted at the castle entrance by Leon, now an official guard, who led him through the maze-like corridors of the castle until they arrived in one of the guest rooms. Leon then left Riku to return to his post. Inside the room were Ienzo and Lia. From what Ienzo told him on the phone, the girls were still unconscious when Aeleus brought them back to the castle, but Marta had woken up since then. When Riku noticed her absence, he asked Ansem's apprentice for her whereabouts.

Ienzo rubbed the back of his neck and said, "When the young woman woke up, she rushed out of here unexpectedly. Aeleus went to look for her."

Riku nodded. "Well she seems fine then. What about Lia? Has she woken up since Aeleus brought her in?"

Ienzo shook his head. "Unfortunately, she hasn't."

"Did Aeleus say if the girls used their Keyblades down there?"

"Not to worry, Riku. He said that Lia, here, produced regular weapons for them to use against him."

"That's just the thing. There's a reason to worry even if Lia doesn't use her Keyblade." Riku confused Ienzo. "The thing about Lia is that she has a unique power that can sometimes overwhelm her."

"A unique power?"

"Yes. It draws on some innate arcane magic from her homeworld that she doesn't quite have the best grasp of. In our three years of training she's been working to control that, more than anything. It's the original reason why I chose to do the rite of inheritance on her. She can wield a Keyblade with very little problem, but sometimes she relies a bit too much on her other power."

"I see. Aeleus did mention that she made weapons appear seemingly from nowhere, though I can't imagine it's much different from making a Keyblade appear."

"We don't fully understand it but she can do much more than just create weapons. That's actually one of the least draining abilities of her power."

"Not to step on your toes, Riku, but we'd be more than glad to run an analysis of her if you'd like. We could do a few studies and record our findings."

"Thank you, Ienzo. I'll mention the offer to her after our mission is over, but considering this outcome, I might have to send for someone to come get her and take her back to the Land. Until then, I should call my other apprentices to come here. Please excuse me."

Ienzo nodded as Riku exited the room with his gummi phone to tell Gia and Ryo to come to the castle. It did not take long before Gia was running down the corridor with breakneck speed.

"Master Riku! Where's Lia?! Is she okay?! Is she…?!" The thought of her sister being hurt, or worse, brought the silver-haired girl to tears.

Riku took a step back and waved his hands in front of her. "N-no, Gia. Lia's fine. She just used her Ninjutsu Arts."

"But she's not supposed to!"

Riku straightened out and said, "I _know_." He shot a disapproving look at Gia, which she did not immediately catch. She was so used to Lea that she forgot her place around other masters. Normally, this would not have happened but when it came to Lia, all forms of respect and manners took a back seat.

"Then what are we going to do to help her?!"

"Gia!" It was not Riku who shouted her name. The voice came from the doorway, where Lia clung to the doorframe, still weak. "Mind your manners around Master Riku. _Please_."

"Sis!" Gia shouted, running forward and practically _launching_ herself into her sister's arms. For a moment, Riku was worried the green haired ninja would fall over with the surprise and added weight of her older sister. But his worries were for naught, as Lia managed to catch herself against the wall, leaning against it heavily to support her body. "What were you even _thinking_?! You know you can't use your Ninjutsu Arts right now! And what are you doing out of bed, you look ready to collapse at any second!"

"I'm up because I heard you screaming your full head off." Lia huffed, returning her sister's hug against her words. "And besides, I had no choice but to use them. You try fighting a guy with a giant _axe sword_ without a weapon."

"What were you doing fighting Aeleus?" Gia gasped. "Did he confuse you for me?! I'm so sorry, sis! Lea told Ansem's guards to spar with me any time they saw me. It's my fault that you got hurt. I'm such a horrible sister!" She was devolving into a sniveling ball of snot and tears as she curled up on the floor. Her head shot up. "No! It's _Lea's_ fault." Suddenly, her emerald eyes were filled with a burning rage. "I'm going to make him _pay_!"

The entire time, Lia was trying to get her sister's attention. It wasn't until she slapped Gia's face that she got the silver-haired girl listened. Lia sighed, "Finally. I've been trying to tell you that it wasn't anything like that."

Ienzo entered the conversation. "You sister unfortunately got caught up in the middle of an investigation that Aeleus was doing in the Underground Fighting Circuit. Recently, we've been having a problem with illegal fighting that Aeleus and Isa have been trying to get to the bottom of."

"I still don't know how we ended up down there, honestly, but once we were there and they asked for volunteers, Marta got us into that." Lia sighed. "And I didn't know any better with Aeleus, so I had to treat it like a real fight, which meant I needed to protect the World Order. Thus, I used Ninjutsu Arts."

Gia protested, "But that was still too dangerous! You risked your health for something stupid! Wait 'til I find Marta. She's going to get an earful."

"Gia, I'm fine. Really."

Riku shook his head. "Lia, I think you should go back to the Land. I'll have Master Ventus come for you." He turned to Ienzo. "Would it be okay if she stayed here?"

"Master, please. I can keep going. I promise I won't use my Ninjutsu Arts anymore. If I'm faced with another situation in which I must defend myself without using my Keyblade, I'll use hand-to-hand combat. That's what you trained me for."

"What if you come across an opponent as strong as Aeleus? Hand-to-hand combat is an option but against someone as experienced in combat as he is, it might not be enough."

"Then I'll die fighting."

Gia did not like that answer. She liked what Riku said even less.

"The World Order comes before anything else. This is the way."

Lia repeated, "This is the way."

Riku nodded. "You should at least get some more rest. While we wait for someone to bring Marta back and for Ryo to catch up. Speaking of which, I thought he and Dilan were with you, Gia."

"W-we're right here, Master Riku." Ryo and Dilan had barely caught up with them, both out of breath.

"Wait, what happened to Marta?" Lia asked.

"Here." Aeleus walked up to them with an unconscious Marta over his shoulder.

"Did you knock her out again?" Ienzo asked.

When Aeleus noticed Riku looking at him, he flinched slightly. "N-no. She fell asleep."

"Yeah, Marta does that," Riku responded. "We'll take her off your hands. Just stand her up."

Aeleus gave him a questionable look but did as he said. To Ienzo, Dilan, and Aeleus' surprise, the girl stood up on her own once Aeleus let go. Her head was tilted but she had no problem keeping her balance on her own.

"Now that we're all together, may we continue with the mission?" Lia asked.

"Well Cid still needs to finish installing the Warp Gummi."

Ienzo suggested, "Well until then, why not stay for something to eat? We have plenty of food and you'll need to replenish your strength before you depart."

"Thank you, Ienzo, but we don't have much time to waste. Two of my own apprentices were attacked en route to rendezvous with us. We're on our way to meet with another apprentice on Crescentia."

"I've never heard of that world," the scientist responded.

"Well it's not like you're off this one much," Riku teased.

Ienzo laughed, "You got me."

Riku continued, "It's found in the Etherium Galaxy. It's a distant section of the World. I've only ever been once for exploration. Ienzo, I apologize for any inconvenience my apprentices and I have caused you and your colleagues, especially to you, Aeleus. If there is anything we can do to help during your investigation, the other masters and I would be willing to lend a helping hand."

Aeleus nodded. "That's very kind of you, Riku."

"I would also like to apologize for any injuries Marta and I caused you, Aeleus." Lia said with a bow as a sign of humility and respect. "It was my fault for encouraging Marta as I did."

"Do not worry, child. I did not give you much reason to trust me." Aeleus shook his head. "Besides, I did not recognize you, either, because I was focused on my investigation."

"We've never met before," Lia said. Aeleus glanced over at Gia then back to Lia. "Oh. Right."

Gia then asked, "What's your investigation even about, Mr. Aeleus?"

"Gia," Riku said sternly.

"But Master, if we're going to aid him, we might as well ask what's going on."

Riku shook his head. "We already have our mission. He can discuss the details with Master Ventus and Master Aqua."

"He's right, Gia," Lia said.

"M-Master Riku…" Ryo spoke hesitantly. "What shall we do in the meantime?"

"We can go back to Cid's shop. He should be close to finishing up and I didn't get any leads. Any luck on your ends?"

The apprentices, even Marta, shook their heads.

"What is your mission regarding?" Ienzo asked.

Dilan answered, "Gia mentioned something about missing materia. I told her that we knew very little of it. Just that we noticed the matter."

"Actually…" Aeleus began. "I believe that the underground fights might be pulling the materia away from the legal trade into the black market."

Gia shot Lia a look with her eyebrows raised.

Riku looked over at Gia and smiled. "Well, looks like we'll need to hear this after all."

* * *

**Location:** Radiant Garden - Unknown

"So, you wanted to see me? I'm honored!" A man with messy red hair hidden under a fedora smiled as he offered a bottle of wine to his guest. "Would you care for a glass? It's the finest wine I own."

"Oh, you're much too kind." The guest, a man with shoulder-length silver hair wearing a black leather outfit, smiled. "But you see…" he took a long pause before giving the other man an eerie smile, "Mother would disapprove."

The fedora-wearing man nodded as he gestured for one of his men to leave the bottle on the table and walk away. The boss then took a seat, sighing as he savored the taste of the wine. "Now then, what can I do for you?" He asked after he took a sip.

"Oh, this is nothing more than a status report, of course." The silver haired man smiled. "My brothers recently ran into a trio of brats and it appears they may become a bigger nuisance than expected."

"Oh? I thought the three of you would easily be able to handle some brats." The fedora-wearing man mused. "Is it possible you truly aren't as strong as you claim to be?"

"Oh, no, nothing of the sort." The silver haired man laughed before he sighed. "But it seems Big Brother has taken an interest in them...and of course, the brats' weapons are quite unique."

"Unique?" The fedora-wearing man repeated, now intrigued.

"Yes, it appears they wield large keys as swords from the information we've gathered and we've seen them use magic first hand." The silver haired man informed. "They're quite talented, but not nearly as much as we are. They shouldn't be too much trouble, but there are rumors that there are more of these 'Key-Wielders.'"

"How fascinating...this sounds quite like the stories of that boy from all those years ago... _very_ curious…" The fedora-wearing man smirked. "And why would you share this with me?"

"Simple. If they show up here, Mother would like you to eliminate them." The silver haired man smirked. "Unless, of course, you're not nearly as committed as you've let on."

"Now, why would you _ever_ doubt me?" The fedora-wearing man questioned, faux serious.

"Quite easily. I only trust my family." The silver haired man flipped his hair as he spoke. "However, I think I can trust you, just this once, that this 'New Order' will be no issue?"

"Not at all."

The silver-haired man smirked. "Very well then. That's all I'd like to speak with you about for now." He stood up and walked toward the exit. He then stopped and turned his head slightly. "We'll be in touch."

"Yes. Do give my regards to Our Lady." The fedora-wearing man tipped his hat.

The silver haired man said nothing. He simply smiled before vanishing through a Corridor of Darkness, leaving the fedora-wearing man to stew in his plans. "A New Order, eh…?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we are! So, yeah, our original plans have shifted around quite a bit, but the characters are telling us where to go, so we're just following their lead. 
> 
> First off, the words Lia and Riku use, the "This is the way"? That's a reference to The Mandalorian on Disney+, courtesy of Legacy! I heard it's good (and has baby Yoda) so go see it!
> 
> And then there's Final Fantasy cameos galore! I'll admit, this was my first time writing Jecht and the first time I've written Snow in a LONG time, never mind our silver haired and fedora wearing men (guess who they are, everyone!). It's definitely fun finding ways to implement all of them and give them new stories in the KH universe (yes, Jecht will probably take his money and go to Destiny Islands to find Tidus, no I don't know if we'll ever show it). I have no idea who else we'll be adding, but there's a lot of possibilities!


	5. Debriefing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WolfieRed23: Hello everyone, we're back in a much shorter period of time! We had a bit of a creative burst, so to speak, which probably explains that. Dunno if it'll keep up or our schedules will continue to line up, but we'll see!
> 
> LegacyReturns: Hey guys, so let me apologize in advance for how exposition-heavy this chapter is, especially since, as the title suggests, the characters will be debriefing each other. There is a lot for each party to cover, after all. Not to be worried, though. This chapter will have character development and characterization for several OCs and canon characters you guys love. Anyways, Wolfie and I had lots of fun writing this so we hope you guys will have fun reading it!

**Chapter 4: Debriefing**

* * *

**Location:** The Land of Departure - Castle Gardens

The garden that Aqua and Sari tended to on a daily basis had become about the most peaceful area in the entirety of the Land of Departure so this is where Aqua brought her newest apprentice to for meditation. The woman and her apprentice sat with their legs crossed at the entrance to a grotto with a small stream of water running between them down off the edge of a cliff. They sat in complete silence, breathing in and out slowly as time flowed around them. The trees wafted in the slight breeze, the fish swam through the water, and the sun slowly pushed further away from the center of the sky, casting longer shadows by the minute.

Despite the calm environment, Alexina could not keep from shaking her leg. It had fallen asleep, making her uncomfortable and she could not shake the feeling from her thoughts. A single pale green eye cracked so Alexina could sate her curiosity. She thought it improbable that her master could sit there completely still and undisturbed even by her own thoughts so she had to see it to believe it. But it was true. Aqua sat with a peaceful look on her face. Having a daughter and, at the moment, three apprentices to look after had aged Aqua more than the woman liked or cared to admit so meditation was something she took to religiously for self care

Alexina closed her eye to try clearing her thoughts again. She took a deep breath and exhaled to relax herself. Not long after that, her mind began to stray, thinking about different things such as her home, her training, and _that_ woman. Suddenly, she shot up and said, "Master, I can't do this!" She let out a groan of frustration.

Aqua's face scrunched but melted into a calm smile. She looked up at her apprentice before cooly saying, "Alexina, you have to remember that meditation is not something that comes easy to everyone. Just like with everything, it takes practice, but more importantly, it requires effort." Alexina's gaze fell so Aqua said, "It sounds counterintuitive doesn't it?"

"It does."

Aqua gestured for Alexina to take her seat again, which the apprentice did obediently. "What are you thinking about when you meditate?"

"Nothing." Aqua knew better. She raised an eyebrow. Alexina sighed and said, "Well, I think about home."

"It's understandable to miss your home. When I was brought here by Master Eraqus, I too felt homesick. If it weren't for…" Aqua paused, which Alexina took notice of.

"Master?"

"Y-yes. As I was saying, if it wasn't for Terra, I wouldn't have been able to feel like the Land of Departure was my home. Do you regret leaving your home?"

"Yes. No. I don't know. When you came to my Thebes with the offer to train me on how to use a Keyblade, I felt like I'd finally found a way to save my father from Ares."

Aqua gave her a soft look. "Alexina, you must realize that as Keyblade wielders, we have a duty to protect the world order. There are some things that we cannot, in good faith, do, even if it means we keep ourselves from the things we desire the most."

Alexina simply nodded. She would figure out a way to preserve the world order _and_ rescue her father, as well as be worthy of the Keyblade that was to be bestowed upon her. Before they could resume the meditation, Maia's voice could be heard from around the edge of the grotto wall.

"Master Aqua!"

"I'm in here, Maia," Aqua called.

Maia's face brightened when she saw her fellow apprentice. "Lexi!" She then turned to Aqua and said, "Master Ventus has called for you in the main hall. He said something about a meeting."

"A meeting? We weren't expecting anyone."

"Should I tell him you're busy?"

"No, I should attend."

Aqua walked with the girls up to the castle entrance and into the main hall where Ventus stood with Silva in his arms.

"Look Silva, it's Mommy!" The child practically fell out of Ventus' arms to go to her mother but the blonde was quick to set her down gently so she could run over.

Aqua smiled warmly as she lifted her daughter into the air. Silva spread her arms wide and giggled as Aqua brought her back into her arms, in a secure hold. Aqua then asked her colleague, "You called, Ven?"

He nodded. "It's Riku and Ienzo."

"Is everything okay?" Her brow furrowed with worry.

Ventus shrugged. "I'm not sure. Riku just told me that he needed both of us here to listen to some developments."

Aqua nodded and turned to Maia and Alexina. "Girls, would you mind taking Silva to the playground in the back?"

"Of course not, Master," Maia said as she took hold of Silva and carried her outside.

Aqua and Ventus took a seat in their respective thrones and generated a light blue holographic wall in the center of the room. Ventus dialed Riku's Gummiphone and rested his own phone on his throne's armrest, which linked the device to the projection. When Riku answered the call, Aqua and Ventus could see a lot of familiar faces standing in Ansem's lab. There was Riku, the apprentices that were with him, Ienzo, Aeleus, and Isa.

"Aqua, Ven, can you hear me?" Riku asked.

"We can hear you," Aqua responded. "Hello everyone." Greetings were quickly exchanged between them all.

Riku opened the conversation. "Alright, we'll make this brief. So it turns out that our investigation might be linked to Aeleus and Isa's own local investigation."

"How so?" Ventus asked.

Isa stepped forward and began explaining. His hair had been cut very short to draw away any attention from himself during his mission. "Recently, we have noticed that there has been an increase in illegal activity going on in the Radiant Garden Underground." He was direct, almost militarian in his approach. His hands were held behind is back, straightening out his posture. His voice was dry and calm but he spoke eloquently. "From when we last spoke regarding the shortage of materia and the dwindling number of Moogle shops, Aeleus and I came across some information that a lot of this world's Munny was going through the black market so we decided to do an investigation, going under our Nobodies' aliases."

Ienzo added, "We believed that since Aeleus and Isa have been seen in public the least, they would be the best candidates to operate underground and our speculation was correct."

Isa nodded. "In a short amount of time, Aeleus became the champion of the Underground Fighting Circuit and we were close to meeting the ringleader of that operation until your apprentices appeared down there and I was forced to break my cover to save them and evacuate. Luckily, Aeleus did not reveal himself and will still be allowed entrance below."

Aqua asked for clarification. "So you believe that this fighting operation is the cause of the materia shortage in your world."

Isa and Aeleus both nodded.

"Well it does sound pretty likely," Ventus said. "So what do you propose be done?"

Riku answered, "We still need to find Sari and Rickson as well as spread our search out to Montressor since Rickson's Keyblade pointed in that direction so I'm requesting that reinforcements be sent to Radiant Garden while my team and I continue our previously assigned mission."

"Send more of our ranks out?" Aqua asked. She remembered that Kairi was looking into Sora's disappearance and had to consider that there could be someone lurking in the shadows just waiting to strike especially with what Jack had told her about the silver-haired men.

"Aqua?" Ventus asked.

Aqua blinked quickly and realized that all eyes were on her. She straightened herself out in her throne and said, "The leadership of Radiant Garden have been trusted allies of the Land of Departure so it is with a heavy heart that I must respectfully decline this request." This surprised everyone. "As Grandmaster of the Land of Departure, I have to think about the safety of this world since it is the first defense against the denizens of darkness. There have already been too many slips in our defenses recently and in order to protect the balance between light and darkness, we have to keep the Land standing. We cannot weaken our defenses."

Ienzo bowed his head respectfully. "We understand, Aqua."

Ventus disagreed. "Aqua, the sooner we get to the bottom of this, the quicker we can pull all our defenses back to the Land of Departure. I can go with Mahir to offer a helping hand with Aeleus and Isa's investigation. After all, I couldn't think of a better candidate to help with the infiltration than Mahir."

Aqua had her back against the wall. She needed to convince Ventus and Riku that this was not the best course of action. "We need to think about this carefully because this could mean risking not only a Master, but an apprentice as well." Aqua retorted. She knew, it was logically sound argument.

Ventus responded, "Aqua, you heard them. Our own apprentices interfered with their investigation. Put aside the fact that they're our allies and that their work might directly tie into ours. We are liable for anything the apprentices do. We should assume responsibility by lending a helping hand."

Back against that wall again. Just like last time, Aqua redirected. "Wait, which apprentices?"

Before Gia could make an outburst to protect her sister, she was cut off by Lia. "It was Marta and I." Her head was held high. "We were investigating for our own mission and ended up involved in a fight against Aeleus. To protect the world order, I summoned weapons for us to use."

"But that means‒" Ventus cut himself off before he shot a worried look at the holographic ninja, one Aqua felt mirrored on her own face. "Lia! Don't tell me-"

"Yes, I used my Ninjutsu Arts." Lia confirmed. "It was the only way to both protect the world order and our identities."

"But it all worked out! See? Lia's fine, and so am I!" Marta grinned, knocking the side of her head as if to say 'knock on wood'.

Aqua had a questionable look on her face. One that said that she was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the team Riku had put together. Ventus, too, was growing concerned for Lia's safety and how any future incidents could affect her and the rest of the team.

Riku told his colleagues, "It's true that Lia may have used her unstable power but this is what I'm here for, to make sure she doesn't go too far off the deep end."

That's when Lia realized why Riku had joined the team so last minute. It was because of her. He had doubts about her ability to lead a team on such a delicate mission when she couldn't control that damned power of hers. Lia's fist tightened and her gaze fell.

Ventus noticed the change in her behavior. "Lia looks fine to me, Aqua. I really think Riku's team should continue with their mission and I should take Mahir to Radiant Garden. The longer that Jack is alone on Crescentia, the more vulnerable we leave him for his attackers to finish the job. Not to mention that Sari and Rickson haven't reported to us since yesterday. Finding them should be our priority, even above these investigations. We're on a timer, here, so I think we should put it to a vote."

Aqua sighed. Despite having a rank higher than Ventus and Riku, she always respected majority rule. "If you two think this is the best course of action, then that's what we'll do." She did not like how this meeting turned out but was unable to do anything about it except hope for the best outcome.

"I'll go fill Mahir in and we'll make our preparations," Ventus said. "We'll be there within the hour."

Riku nodded. "Understood. Cid called me just before this to let me know that he's already installed the Warp Gummi that I paid him for so we're going to Crescentia now."

Before the call adjourned, Isa said one last thing. "Ven, I look forward to your arrival."

"Me too." Ventus smiled and nodded before shutting the call off. He then looked over at Aqua, studying the worry marks on her forehead. She was clearly uneasy by his and Riku's decision but he did not understand why.

"Aqua," he said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. When she looked back at him, he reassured her, "Everything will be okay."

"Ven, we're stronger together and now it feels like we've never been more separated." She also referred to Sora's disappearance, Terra's absence, and just how distant they'd been with their friends and allies lately. Aqua realized that she had just denied Ansem's people aid but what could she do given everything that was on her plate?

"You're right. We are stronger together. That's why we have to build bridges, not burn them. We might be divided physically but that doesn't mean we have to be divided in our beliefs and mindsets too. As long as we work together, with each other and our friends, there isn't anything to worry about."

Aqua cracked a smile. "How do you always do that?"

Ventus was confused. "Do what?"

"How do you always manage to see the good in the bad?"

"I don't know. I like to believe in my friends."

"That must be where Sora gets it from…" Just saying his name made Aqua feel the sting of guilt that she had been trying to ignore.

"I can tell you miss how things used to be. When Sora and Kairi lived here with us. When Terra, Roxas, and Xion visited more frequently. When Naminé actually talked to us. I miss it too. It felt like we were all a family and-"

"And now it feels like all of them are just people we used to know."

"Yeah…" Ventus' sapphire eyes fell. The two of them were quiet for a moment before the blonde continued, "But now's not the time to dwell on what could be or what could've been. Now's the time for us to get to work." He stood up from his throne and walked toward the stairs but stopped before descending them. "You'll see, Aqua. Things will turn out better."

Ventus was gone. Now that she was all alone, Aqua slumped in her seat and looked up at the ornate ceiling. She muttered to herself, "I sure hope so."

* * *

**Location:** Radiant Garden - Ansem's Castle - Ansem's Study

Ansem the Wise, the great scientist and researcher, had been the ruler of Radiant Garden for several decades, but his power had been usurped for thirteen of those years. Since the end of the Second Keyblade War, Ansem had returned to his position as leader of his world and a man of science. It was this very science that brought about the near destruction of the entire universe all those years ago so to atone for his sins, Ansem's was an all-around more empathetic and generous man. When Naminé requested that he speak with Kairi, Ansem gladly provided the redhead some of his time. He had even told Ienzo that he would no longer be going to the lab for the meeting with Riku and the other Keyblade masters because Naminé had expressed urgency and discretion in the matter.

Ansem met with Kairi, Roxas, and Xion in his personal study - his thick walls preventing anyone from hearing the conversation they had. There, Kairi explained her journey to the man and waited for his advice. Ansem stroked his gray beard with his thumb and index finger. He was thinking, carefully considering everything Kairi had told him, including the secrecy that she was working under.

Despite keeping a calm front, Kairi was choked up on the inside. She needed any sort of advice that could send her in the right direction. She did not even notice that when he began speaking, she made a slightly audible gasp.

"Kairi, when was the last time you set foot on this world?"

The redhead was going to answer but she needed to think about the answer. "When Sora and Riku‒I mean Xehanort's Heartless‒fought here." The answer shocked Roxas and Xion, both of whom had been to Radiant Garden at least a dozen times since their conception.

Roxas asked, "Kairi, are you serious?" Kairi nodded.

Xion reiterated the question. "You never came on a mission here while you lived on the Land of Departure?"

She shook her head. "Honestly, I think I've always just tried to stay away from this world _because_ of my last visit. There was never a need for me to actually come here so I never did." Ansem had been silent during this exchange so Kairi looked to see what he would say next but when she noticed that he was giving her a knowing look, she thought about why he asked about her last visit. Then it dawned on her: he knew the answer before asking it. "You think that has something to do with why I was brought here."

He nodded once. "In all of the discussions regarding the inner workings of the heart that I've had with King Mickey, the one thing that those discussions all came back to is that the heart seems to have some sort of connection to other hearts."

"Hey, didn't Sora say that he followed hearts to find yours when Xehanort-agh!" Xion cut Roxas off by elbowing him in the ribs.

"Yeah...he did. So does that mean that he vanished again? Was he using the Power of Waking again? No, that can't be. My heart didn't lead me through other people's hearts. He said that that's how he found me."

Ansem continued. "You must keep in mind that worlds also have hearts and hearts have memories. I hypothesize that these memories are a key part to the essence of a person and therefore, a place with a strong connection to the memory will lead you ever closer to that person if your heart wishes deeply enough and the connection is strong enough."

Kairi processed Ansem's advice. She slowly followed his train of thought. "So you mean to say that...if worlds have hearts and by extension memories…" Ansem nodded along. "Then that means that my heart led me to Radiant Garden because the world is remembering something?"

"I believe that it remembers something that links you to Sora."

"It remembers when Sora gave his life for mine."

"That could be a possibility. Shall we test that hypothesis?"

"You mean...go to where it happened?" Kairi was hesitant. She was not haunted by memories of that day because she had repressed them, choosing only to look at what she had in her life rather than the tragedies of her past. Now that Sora was gone in her life, she realized that she had to face those tragedies. Kairi's grip tightened as she nodded. The others could sense the conflict in her but also the resolve that came after. She was serious about finding Sora and it was clear that she was not going to let anything come between her and achieving that goal.

* * *

**Location:** Radiant Garden - Ansem's Castle - Ansem's Lab

After the call with Aqua and Ventus ended, Riku turned to Ienzo and Aeleus to discuss some final details regarding the arrangement he and Ventus pushed for. Isa would be filled in on those details later. Two of his guests caught his attention. The blue-haired man walked toward Gia and Lia, greeting the twin he was already familiar with.

"Gia, it's good to see you," he said.

Gia turned to Isa and rushed him with a hug. "Isa!" she said excitedly.

Isa welcomed it with a single hand on her back. "It's good to see you, Gia. I'm surprised to see you without Lea, though."

"Hothead had another mission or something," she waved.

"Yes, he told me before he departed from the Land."

"Worried about him?" Gia teased.

Isa smirked and shook his head. "Never." His eyes shifted over to Lia, which made her stand as straight as she could. There was nothing wrong with her posture before but first impressions were important to her. "You must be Lia. Your sister talks a lot about you." He placed a hand forward.

Lia met it and politely responded, "I am honored to meet one of Lord Ansem's elite guards."

Isa gave a curt nod. "I'm impressed with the skill you showed today, Lia. Perhaps once your and Gia's training is complete, you two could join the guard."

Gia teased, "You just want Lea back home without a reason to leave again."

He was stoic as he turned to Gia and said, "You, on the other hand, need a long way to go to complete your training. Dilan told me what happened in the courtyard."

"Stupid Muscle Head," Gia muttered under her breath.

Isa turned back to Lia and said, "Please do consider my offer. Both of you. And Gia, you know you're always welcome at my house whenever you visit. That goes for you as well, Lia. Just give me a call. May I see your Gummiphone, Lia?"

"Yes, of course."

He quickly saved his phone number in Lia's phone and handed it back to her before excusing himself and exiting the room to reunite with his colleagues.

Ryo approached the twins and said, "Ms. Gia, you're v-very familiar with the castle guards."

"Well this is Lea's home world so we stop by here every once in a while during our travels. I like coming here because when we do, I get to stay at Lea and Isa's house in their guest bed."

"Master Lea and Mr. Isa share a house together?"

Lia responded, "They're married. You didn't see the ring on Isa's finger?"

Ryo's eyes widened by how insensitive he must have sounded. He stammered while trying to explain himself. "I-I-I-I didn't mean them any d-d-disrespect!"

The young women laughed and reassured their fellow apprentice. Gia said, "You don't have to apologize, Ryo. I had no idea Lea was gay until I actually came and met Isa."

Gia was an anomaly to Ryo. For some reason, she had no trouble putting Ryo at ease, something Lia had seen her fellow apprentices try and fail. This put a smile on Lia's cowled face.

At that moment, Riku walked back in and said, "Alright team, let's get going back to Cid's shop."

* * *

**Location:** Land of Departure - Outer Courtyard

Mahir carefully eyed his surroundings, watching the seemingly docile Flood Unversed that had him surrounded. There were six of them, three in front of him and three behind him, but none of them moved. _Any second now...any second...now!_

At the exact moment Mahir jumped in the air, the Unversed who were behind him leapt forward, attacking right where he had been standing previously. Quickly, the thief adjusted himself in midair so he could land on his feet, skidding slightly as they touched the ground.

A second later, another Flood leapt at him and Mahir raised his Keyblade, Golden Wonder, to lock the claws aiming for his eyes in place. Using his leverage, Mahir pushed the dark creature away. Unfortunately, another Unversed took his moment of distraction as a chance to go for his unguarded legs.

Quickly, Mahir attempted to step back, out of the way, but he wasn't fast enough. He grunted in pain as the dark creature's claw scraped his ankle before kicking out with his uninjured foot to send the Unversed into the air, allowing him to cut through it with Golden Wonder. He then spun the Keyblade in his grip, cutting through two more Floods that attempted to attack his seemingly unguarded back.

That just left three.

Mahir moved swiftly then, barely able to be seen as he shot towards the three remaining Floods, who met his challenge head on. He dodged the first one that leapt at him, punched the second one with his free hand so it fell to the ground and backflipped right as the third one leapt, his extended legs hitting the Unversed as he did so. In midair, Mahir twisted his body so he landed in kneeling position, stabbing the Flood he kicked directly as he landed.

He rolled out of the way of the last two remaining Floods before quickly using his Keyblade to slice at both before they got the chance to attack again.

_That just leaves…_

As soon as the thought crossed the thief's mind, the Bruiser Unversed that had been waiting for him jumped right behind him. Moving as fast as he could, Mahir stood up and turned, only to earn a sharp smack across the side of his head.

 _Damn, too slow..._ he mentally cursed himself, backflipping a second later to avoid another hit. That was when he saw his opening.

When the Bruiser swung again, Mahir ducked under the swing at the last possible moment, using the Unversed's open stance against it and digging Golden Wonder right into its neck, where a human's jugular vein would be.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the Unversed burst into darkness and Mahir could distantly hear clapping behind him.

"Not bad, Mahir." Ventus praised him, an easy smile on his face as the dark aura around him faded. Instantly, Mahir banished his Keyblade and bowed.

"Thanks, Master." He said. "I've still got some improvement to go but pretty soon, I won't have to call you Master anymore, am I right?"

Ventus chuckled. "What makes you so sure you're ready for your Mark of Mastery?"

"Well, I just feel it, Master."

"The confidence is good. Just remember not to get too cocky. Anyways, I think this is a good time as any to end your training for today. We're heading out." Ventus said, entirely serious as his smile faded. Mahir straightened with a confused expression on his face.

"Wait, seriously? But we just sent out Master Riku and the others. Why are we needed?" The thief questioned, confused. He knew that. excluding Lea, Aqua didn't like sending out more than one master at a time for any jobs, it was an unspoken rule that two would remain at all times at the Land of Departure.

"Something came up in Radiant Garden and we need to focus on it as well as the case with Jack, Sari, and Rickson." Ventus explained before a small smile grew on his face. "You up for it?"

"Yes sir, Master!" Mahir grinned even as he politely bowed. As he straightened up again, he smiled wider. "When are we leaving? What's going on there, anyways?"

"We're supposed to leave by tomorrow morning at the latest. Come on, I'll explain while we head back to your room." Ventus gestured back to the castle.

Mahir nodded in agreement and followed behind his master. Things just got _very_ interesting, if he did say so himself. Maia was going to be so jealous!

* * *

**Location:** Radiant Garden - Ansem's Castle - Grand Hall

Kairi stood in front of the double doors that led to the grand hall. Ansem waited for her to give him a signal that she was ready to proceed. Roxas and Xion stood behind their friend, ready to support. With a heavy sigh, Kairi said, "It's time. I need to go in."

Ansem nodded before turning to unlock the doors. They opened with a long groan until they hit the wall, sending a booming thud deep into the hall. The sound echoed back, sending chills up Kairi's spine. She took a step back but Xion wrapped her hands around the redhead's, patting her back to encourage her.

"You can do this," she said warmly.

Kairi smiled and closed her eyes. She took slow deep breaths and one step forward. Then another and then another until she stood in the hallway where her former fellow Princesses of Heart were kept while Xehanort's Heartless crafted the Keyblade of Heart. Her gaze lingered on the spot where Belle once stood captive in stasis. Ansem and his former apprentices had ridden the room of the pods that once held the princesses which eased Kairi.

The young woman continued forward to the staircase, which she forced herself up. The first step was the most difficult, or at least that's what Kairi hoped. Each step after the first became more sluggish with gravity dragging the redhead's feet. Halfway up the staircase, Kairi just stopped and turned around to face Roxas, Xion, and Ansem.

"I can't do this."

Roxas approached Kairi and put his hands on her shoulders. "Kairi, we're not making you do anything you don't want to do but I want you to know that you _can_ do this. You've done harder things before."

"Like what?"

"You stood by your friends as a Guardian of Light against the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness."

"Yeah and look what good that did us. I cost Sora his life for a while. I know he came back but that doesn't mean death has no consequences." Roxas and Xion raised an eyebrow at her. "You guys weren't dead!" She crossed her arms. "Your hearts were in Sora's."

Roxas responded, "Yeah and thanks to him we're all alive."

He was right. Sora had given up everything for her and their friends. Even when he had nothing left to give, he somehow managed to give more and all with a smile on his face. Kairi needed to find him. There was no question about it. Without any hesitation, Kairi turned on her heel and marched up the staircase, finding herself in front of the balcony that Sora and Xehanort's Heartless fought on. It was smaller than she remembered but at the time, she was running for her life from the Heartless.

Kairi took several steps forward and closed her eyes, reliving the moment but not from her point of view. She saw the events unravel from Sora's. She could feel dark energy spilling from the Heartless machine that glowed with various darkened colors. She could feel the weight behind Riku's swings. Above all, she felt the determination that came from Sora. He knew that he could not lose that battle. There was no thought that crossed his mind except the thought of saving Kairi. "I'll never let you have Kairi's heart!"

Kairi realized that she had yelled that out as she swung Destiny's Embrace out as if she were the one pushing Xehanort's Heartless back. Her eyes widened with shock when she realized how heavy her breaths were. Sweat beaded down the side of her face. Adrenaline pumped inside her as if she were mid-battle. Then the fatigue of battle came and she lost her balance, staggering backward until Roxas caught her.

"Woah! Kairi, are you okay?"

Kairi's eyes fluttered. She had trouble keeping them open. "W-what happened?"

Ansem answered, "I believe that you just re-lived one of this world's memories through Sora."

"Is that possible?" Xion asked. "Because it felt like watching some kind of possession."

"Out of respect for the Princesses of Heart we have never ran tests on them, so there is still much we do not know about them and their unique powers. Kairi is the only princess to have retained both the title and pure heart once Xehanort's Heartless was defeated. She is an enigma in every sense of the word."

Kairi had regained control of her balance so she stood back up, thanking Roxas for catching her. She heard everything Ansem said and thought about what that meant for her and how that could help her on her mission.

Xion asked, "What if your heart led you here to see that moment in time?"

"I'm sure that it did," Kairi responded. "But the question is why? Why did I have to remember that?"

"Maybe it's to get you closer to Sora," Roxas suggested.

"You think it's taking me to him?" Kairi clutched her chest and said, "Ansem, thank you. You've been a great help but I think that we need to go. I think my heart will take us to where we need to go next."

Ansem nodded. "I do not doubt that. I will continue to think upon this. Please contact me if you learn anything new so that I may aid you in any way that I can."

"I will. Thank you again, Ansem." Kairi put her hand forward to shake the man's hand. With that, he led Kairi, Roxas, and Xion back to Naminé so they could be on their way.

To Kairi's dismay, Naminé had heard from Dilan that Riku was inside the castle. Ansem chuckled at the irony. He said, "Young Kairi, it seems fate has intentions that stray from yours."

Kairi's gaze fell. Her voice was low as she said, "I need to decide my own fate, Ansem. I can't tell Riku yet."

Ansem sighed. "I do not feel right keeping this from him, Kairi. I kept much from him during our tenure as associates."

Xion chimed in, "Before you make any decisions, I have to ask, do you know what Riku is doing here?"

"From what Little Ienzo told me, he and some of the apprentices from the Land of Departure are currently on a mission."

Roxas asked, "Did Xion's boyfriend say what the mission was?" Xion was not amused. She glared daggers into that spiky head of his.

Ansem did not acknowledge Roxas' comment about his former apprentice. He simply answered, "He mentioned that it was regarding the shortage of materia, something that has happened here and apparently, across all worlds."

Kairi answered, "I hadn't noticed any shortage, but then again, the Islands are one of the few worlds Moogles don't inhabit."

"We had," Xion said. "We actually haven't synthesized anything in months and the prices at Moogle Shops have gone through the roof."

"We've faced the same dilemma," Ansem added.

That's when Kairi struck. "This means that Riku has to stay focused. You mentioned he had apprentices with him. As much help that learners can be, it also requires attention and focus to lead them. If Riku can't properly lead them, then there'll just be more losses."

Ansem sighed. He was now faced with the same dilemma that everyone else who knew of Sora's disappearance had been plagued with. Ansem regretted that he too would have to share his decision with the rest. His eyes closed and he shook his head. "Kairi, I will not tell Riku. But in exchange, you must never tell him that you were here. He must not know that I have betrayed him."

"More lies…"

Roxas placed a hand on Kairi's shoulder and said, "It doesn't have to be this way, Kairi."

She looked back at him, guilt clear on her face. Kairi's face hardened as she grit her teeth and sighed. "Yes. It does." She turned back to Ansem and said, "You have my word. He will never hear of this."

Roxas and Xion shared a look. The blonde stepped forward and said, "I won't throw you under the bus, Kairi, so I'll promise too."

"Same."

Ansem nodded solemnly. "Thank you. Is there anything else that we can do for you before you leave?"

Kairi shook her head. "No, you've done more than I could have asked for. Thank you."

Ansem nodded and turned away from them, walking down the corridor and around the corner. As he walked away, he chuckled to himself, "Little Ienzo Xion's boyfriend." He was out of range for the young adults to hear and now, they remained in silence. No one knew how to break it until Naminé felt it best to remind them that they were on a mission. She then led the three through an intricate pathway of corridors until they were back in town, where Naminé found them. They had successfully avoided Riku...until they heard his voice around the corner.

Kairi really started to panic. She looked everywhere for a way out of this dilemma. There was nowhere to run or hide, except one place. Her nose crinkled with disgust.

* * *

**Location:** Radiant Garden - Market Place

Riku led his team through a shortcut that he knew of the city, wanting to get to Cid's as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, he did not know it as well as he thought he did, resulting in them getting lost through a long string of alleyways.

"Master Riku, I think we should've made a left back there," Gia said.

"No, that's a dead end. Besides, I think this is the way to the church. I can find my way back to Cid's shop from there." Riku's eyes widened when he saw some old faces. "Roxas? Xion? Naminé..." His voice had taken a steep decline from excited confusion to painful discomfort.

The blonde squeezed her arm and looked off to the side. "Riku."

Riku looked back over at Roxas and Xion and said, "You guys! What are you doing here?"

Xion was quick to answer. "Well considering that this is one of the few worlds that still has Moogle Shops, we're here on a supply run and we ran into Naminé." Riku tried his hardest not to look at the blonde when Xion mentioned her name. "What brings you here with the daycare?"

"You're one to talk," Gia responded. "Are you on summer break right now or are you just ditching school?"

Xion laughed. "Aw, Gia, are you saying I still pass for fifteen? I'm flattered." The black-haired woman went over to hug Gia. "And you must be Lia! We've heard so much about you!" Before Lia could offer a handshake, she was wrapped in a tight hug.

When Xion released her hold, Lia said, "So I've been told. It's a pleasure to meet you, Master Xion. Master Roxas."

Roxas shook his head, "No need to add 'Master.' We were never inducted into the Order. Just call us by our first names."

"Hey Roxas, get a load of this one. When did we have a child together?" Ryo sank his head into his shoulders and avoided eye contact with the stranger.

Riku chuckled and said, "Now that you mention it, he does have Xion's black hair and pale skin, but that hair is all Cloud's. Roxas, Xion, this is Ryo and she's-"

"Hi there! Where are we? Who are you two? I'm Marta."

"Awake," Riku finished.

Marta continued, "Do you guys want to-" And just like that, she was back asleep.

Roxas and Xion looked at each other confused. Though she said nothing, Naminé shared the sentiment.

"And that's Marta," Riku finally said.

There was a strong thud from one of the barrels which caught everyone's attention. Gia was quick to summon Faerie Whytkin.

"W-what was that?" Ryo asked.

Naminé was quick to answer. "Probably just a cat trying to get into that fish barrel." Her grip on her arm tightened.

Gia made her Keyblade disappear. "Oh, so that's what that smell was. Hey, Master Riku, can we get out of here? The smell is kind of making my head hurt."

"Well, we should get going, either way," he said. "Roxas, Xion, Naminé, it was great to see you guys."

"Likewise," Xion said. She went to hug her friend and said, "It sucks that we only ever see you passing by."

"I know, but the work never stops."

"We understand," Roxas said. "Our job doesn't exactly give us much free time either. You should give us a call one of these days, though. You know, whenever you get the chance."

Riku smiled. "Yeah, I will. Well, we'll be on our way." As he passed by Naminé, he offered a very small smile, one that felt much bigger to him because of all the effort that went into it. Naminé simply kept her arms crossed and looked forward.

Riku and his team soon arrived in Cid's shop where he found the man mid-conversation with a woman in her thirties with long brown hair. This was yet another familiar face ‒ Tifa.

"Riku," she said with a smile.

"Hi, Tifa. How are you?"

"Well I'm perfectly fine, but Cloud…"

Ryo whispered to Gia, "D-didn't he m-mention that name earlier?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he did."

"Is he okay?"

"That's the thing. I don't know. Cid was just telling me that you're currently on a mission. I'd like to come with you."

* * *

**[Bonus Scene] Location:** Market Place

Kairi kicked the lid off the fish barrel and tipped it over with her weight, spilling its contents all over the floor.

"Kairi!" the others yelled as they tried to keep the fish and the water they soaked in from touching their shoes.

"Well _excuse me_ but I think you all forgot about me while you were being chummy with Riku!"

Roxas nudged Xion with his elbow. "Ha! Chummy. Like fish. I get it."

Kairi grunted as she stomped away from them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WolfieRed23: Yeah, remember that completely innocent mentioning of the fish barrels...? Surprise!
> 
> Sorry there's not a lot of fighting this chapter, but we had to set up a bunch of stuff, involving the plot AND all the characters! Still, this was a fun chapter to work on, planning out how all the characters would interact and stuff while keeping track of who is involved in what plot and knows what information. And, of course, plenty of little hints for future developments (cause Legacy and I going AU into this, did you expect anything less from me?)  
> In any case, we're gonna get back to chapter planning now and see where we decide to go from here!


	6. SYOC Reopened

**Wolfie: Hey, everyone, bet you didn't to see us again so soon! Well, we've got a bit of an announcement to make...**

**You guys remember back when this story first started and I said someday we could reopen the SYOC part of this fic. Weeeeeeellll...the day has finally come! Legacy, take it away!**

**Legacy: Before you guys continue reading this, I'd like to provide a SPOILER WARNING for Kingdom Hearts: Dual Destinies. Once you go past this, there is no turning back. Luckily, it's a very mild spoiler that you would discover within the next two chapters anyway, so I wouldn't say that it's the end of the world if you saw this spoiler. Anyways, are you ready to continue? Are you sure? Alright…**

**Firstly, I'd like to give some background information about why this SYOC is necessary. Since Dual Destinies takes place 10 years after KH3, a lot has changed and one of those things is that Marluxia and Larxene have regained their Somebody forms as Lauriam and Elrena. The two have fallen in love and have returned to The World That Never Was to reform the world and renaming it to Midnight City. Now how would they reform it? By giving it an active nightlife. The problem is that even if the city is now bustling, Heartless appear rather frequently still.**

**That's why the Reapers exist. The Reapers were once mindless Reaper Nobodies under Marluxia's control during KH3 but since then, those that survived past the 2nd Keyblade War have obtained a human form much like the original Organization XIII and later developed hearts just like Roxas. The difference though, is that these Reapers have been inspired by the Reapers from The World Ends With You meaning that yes, they have the black wings and can turn into Noise similar to how Marluxia had his second form. For the purposes of this story Noise will sprout from Marluxia/Lauriam because of his connection to death. The role of Reapers is to protect The World That Never Was from Heartless similar to the role of Huntsman from RWBY serve as a military force to kill the creatures of Grimm. Much like the Keyblade Wielders, the Reapers all share a weapon in common: a scythe. While Reapers may be unable to truly vanquish the Heartless, their lives are dedicated to protecting Midnight City and the people that live there.**

**Elrena's Ninja Nobodies have also undergone the process of regaining their human forms and hearts, though not all have obtained the status of her personal bodyguards. This small group of individuals are the equivalent to the Anbu Black Ops in Naruto or the Secret Service in real life, fiercely loyal to the one their serve. Unlike the Reapers, who are scythe specialists and have monstrous Noise forms, Elrena's Ninjas are capable of using a variety of weapons and specialize in Thunder magic like they could in their mindless Nobody forms.**

**Moving forward, we will most likely not be accepting any Keyblade wielding characters since we already have 10 apprentices and a few more other characters who will also be able to use Keyblades, but we wanted to stay true to the origin of this story as an SYOC. I look forward to all of the characters we receive from your guys and I offer my thanks to those of you who continue reading our hard work.**

**Wolfie: Couldn't have said it better myself! You'll notice down below that there's a Reaper and a Ninja counter. As we get (and accept) OCs, I will update that count so you guys can know when we're all set. This'll all be on my profile too, so you can find it and the rules at any time! Next chapter may be a bit delayed as we try to figure stuff out, get new OCs and see what Re:MIND gives us to work with, so it may be a while until we see you all again. Thank you for your patience and anyone who decides to send us a character to use! Have fun everyone~!**

**Reapers: (3/?)**   
**Ninjas: (0/4)**


	7. Crescentia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Legacy's A/N: Hi! I hope that everyone has been doing well considering the situation the world is in right now. Despite having a lot more time now, I haven't really worked on this story because I've been working on the plans for a couple other stories I intend on posting on my account (shameless plug). Wolfie's been crazy busy through all this coronavirus, business, still so the blame's pretty much mine, haha. We had a good chunk of the chapter finished already so we finally decided to sit down for a few hours and write out the rest of it. Hope you all enjoy it! Oh! And a huge thanks to everyone who sent in an OC or is currently working on an OC. This story wouldn't be possible without the contribution that the readers provide with their OCs. As of right now, we are STILL ACCEPTING OCS so please send them in if you have any ideas for them. Heck, if you want to make a minor villain OC to play a decent sized role in the plot, that'd be appreciated too! Just make sure to give us heads up so we can pm you a form specifically for villains.
> 
> Wolfie: I don't have much to add, Legacy covered a lot of what I wanted to say (except don't believe them for a second, this is just as much my fault as theirs, I wasn't even the one who brought up finishing this chapter yesterday, that was them!), but I DO want to say that I hope all of you are well and are staying safe (I'm a person who works in health care myself, so I know how scary this all is, so just make sure you wash your hands and follow whatever rules your state or country has put in place!) and that this chapter can bring even just a little smile to your face.

**Chapter 5: Crescentia**

* * *

**Location:** Radiant Garden - Marketplace - Cid's Shop

Riku seemed uneasy. At least, that's how Lia would describe her master when he heard that Cloud had gone missing. "How could someone just up and leave without telling their friends, not even their wife, goodbye?"

Cid answered, "He told me, g'bye." Tifa shot daggers at him and rightly so. He wasn't helping the situation. Cid held his hands up and backed away from the woman. He knew what she was capable of. "H-he also said somethin' else. Somethin' about feeling some kinda disturbance. He said he needed to face his darkness?"

"Sephiroth." The word came from Riku and Tifa simultaneously. Despite never hearing his name, all of the apprentices felt the air shift. It was the kind of name that rose hairs and chilled to the bone. Whoever this Sephiroth was, the apprentices could tell by their master's demeanor that he was not to be taken lightly.

"Do you see why I need to go with you?" Tifa asked.

"Well, I see why you're worried. What about Denzel and Marlene?"

"Cid's agreed to watch them."

"Kids'll sleep comfortably at my place," he said as he wiped the dust off of his goggles before placing them back on his head.

Riku still seemed hesitant to let her come. "Tifa, are you sure? It's been a while since you've been out in the field."

"Of course I'm sure," she said with conviction.

Riku sighed. "Alright. I'll give you half an hour to get ready."

Tifa pulled a backpack off the ground and slung it over her shoulder. "No need. Ready when you are."

* * *

**Location:** ?

When Sari came to, pain was lacing up her entire body. With a small groan, she opened her eyes and pushed herself up as she examined her surroundings.

She was in...a forest or swamp, most likely. All around her were trees. She could see broken branches above her head where she probably made her less than stellar entrance (she winced in brief guilt for that), and she was pretty sure she could hear what sounded like animals swimming in water not too far away. Altogether, not too bad considering she _crash_ landed, but...she was alone.

Fear struck Sari's heart as she shot up, ignoring all twinges of pain as she pushed herself to her feet and looked around the bushes nearby. Maybe she missed him...maybe he was still unconscious…

Maybe…

But no, he wasn't there. And Sari's heart began to race in fear and worry. Why wasn't he there? What could've happened to him? They fell together, didn't they? So...why…?

Panicking wasn't going to help her, not now...she needed to calm down and look for him. At the very least, he was _somewhere_ on this world. She just had to find him.

"Don't worry, Ricky. I'll find you." Sari whispered, her hands clenched in fists right over her heart.

Without another word, she walked off into the foliage, determined to find her boyfriend before his own worry got too bad. Sari told herself that they would be fine and they'd be heading back home before they knew it, she just had to believe that. Everything would be fine.

* * *

**Location:** The Ocean Between - Just Outside Radiant Garden

Kairi, Roxas, and Xion sat inside the Gummi Ship, discussing their next course of action. After the revelation they'd had from meeting with Ansem, it seemed like they were following the right path by letting Kairi's heart lead them.

Roxas placed a hand on Kairi's shoulder as he said, "Remember, Kairi. Just focus on Sora. If what Ansem said is right, then the worlds will call out to you like Radiant Garden did."

Kairi placed one of her delicate hands on Roxas's larger, gloved hand and smiled up at him warmly. He truly was Sora's other. No one else could put her at ease as easily as him.

Roxas smiled back and said, "Let me know when you're ready." He then removed his hand from her shoulder and walked over to his seat at the head of the ship.

Kairi nodded to him and took a deep breath so she could concentrate on what her heart was telling her. It was a strange feeling to her at first when she first learned to use this power but over time, it had brought about feelings of warmth and confidence in her as a Keyblade wielder. Despite being so familiar with it now, she could not describe it to an average person if she wanted to. The feeling was like a sixth sense. When her heart had locked onto a signature, she summoned her Keyblade and aimed it forward to open a portal to their next destination.

* * *

**Location:** ?

A tall, lanky man walked through the dark and damp streets of New Orleans on a rainy evening, his back hunched and his hands crammed deep into his pockets as he tried to keep the droplets from touching his exposed skin. The large tophat he wore assisted with that. Though he was uncomfortable with his damp clothes clinging to him, he could not have been happier. After all, he had just hit the jackpot earlier that day and had no fear confronting his "friends on the other side" on this particular evening.

He approached his magic shop and flung the doors open with little care for damage. He was far too excited to care, his violet eyes wide with madness and his large teeth on full display by his crooked grin. Soaked dress shoes marked the wooden floors of the workshop with wet grime as the man made his way to the back where some sort of shrine consisting of large totems loomed over him on the wall.

"Friends!" he said, greeting them with as welcoming a demeanor as any man could provide. "I know that I'm in hock to ya'll pretty deep already, but seems our froggy little prince lost his way and I need your generous assistance getting him back." The faces scowled with annoyance as the violet glow in their eyes brightened with emotion. This did not seem to bother him as he laughed confidently. "I hear you! Now what's in it for ya'll? Well, I just so happen to have something to pay my outstanding debt to ya'll."

Behind him sat Rickson, his long violet-streaked red hair, which was usually tied in a ponytail, was now loose, unruly, and dampened by the rain from outside. The young man had been restrained by a string of totems that glowed bright violet from the eyeholes like the larger ones on the wall and was, at the time, unconscious.

The largest totem, the one in the middle, looked to the others, unsure of what the man intended with the boy. Taking note of this confusion, the man continued to say, "He may not seem like much, but I guarantee that this soul is one that'll interest ya'll. Why not have a taste?" The man practically licked his lips excitedly. Once again, it was the central totem that looked to the others for counsel. They all shared intrigue so it opened its mouth, parting its knife-like teeth to produce a swirling vortex of green mist. From it, a shadow slithered across the floor until it wrapped around Rickson. Suddenly, the central totem's eyes burned brighter, blazing with cackling flame licks. The others seemed excited as well as they watched their leader become more powerful. More shadows spawned from the central totem's mouth and wrapped around Rickson, completely covering him in a black filter. The lanky man began to roar in laughter as the shadows that once encircled Rickson now raced off through the door in hot pursuit of the "froggy little prince."

* * *

**Location:** Crescentia

Another warp jump and a couple hours later, and Riku, Tifa, and the apprentices had arrived at the crescent satellite port that orbited Montressor. Gia's second warp jump was not as bad as the first for her. She had not vomited, but the breaking apart and reconstructing of her body at the molecular level was disorienting and nauseating, nonetheless. Though it took a moment for her head to stop spinning, the rest of the flight to Crescentia felt very smooth. This was her first time in a Gummi Ship with Riku, but she could tell that he had plenty of experience flying ships.

As the Highwind neared the port satellite, the apprentices marveled at its size and activity. People scurried throughout the port, all running in different directions, for different reasons and with different people, and they all even looked different too! Gia could see that some of Crescentia's inhabitants had an animal-like quality (she _swore_ up and down when she saw a _dog-like_ inhabitant, similar to Goofy) while others had a more human-like one. And even without that, all the activity was a rather _large_ departure from the Land of Departure itself.

Whereas the Land of Departure was a rather small town, Crescentia was a bustling metropolis, with people coming and going on structures similar to pirate ships, yet they appeared to be made from Gummi blocks all the same. It was incredible! Gia felt even more vindicated as she gazed at her fellow apprentices, who were all in various shades of awe similar to her, well, except for Marta, who was either asleep again or had already seen worlds similar to this one. She couldn't wait to get down there and explore, hopefully with her sister this time. Gia and the other apprentices did not have to wait long since Riku was able to find a vacant dock where he left the Highwind suspended in space as they all exited their vessel.

Riku approached a three-eyed creature that held a clipboard in one of its three-fingered hands and a pencil in the other. The silver-haired man dropped some munny into the dock worker's hand to cover the docking fee and led the others into the port.

The port was even more extensive up close than from above, filled with people of all sorts and species running to and fro, focused on their destinations and not on the people around them. Gia honestly wondered how anyone could find what they were looking for in chaos like this, feeling just the tiniest bit claustrophobic with so many people surrounding them.

"Master Riku!"

Thankfully, or perhaps not, it was debatable, a familiar voice called out right then...from right beside them, causing Gia to jump up at _least_ a foot in the air. Her hair, practically standing up from fright. She could tell her sister was stifling laughter, even through her fortified combination of cowl and mask, so she glared at her, only getting twinkling eyes shot back at her in return.

"You made it, thank goodness." Jack grinned brightly up at Riku, drawing Gia's attention once more.

Riku looked down at the apprentice, who stood about four and a half feet tall, even shorter than the twins. The man smiled down at Jack in return, glad to see him in one piece. "Jack, it's good to see that you're alright. You are alright, aren't you?"

"Not a scratch on me," Jack said with his arms stretched out to emphasize his point. "I am a bit hungry, though. Did you guys bring anything to eat?"

"Back on the Gummi Ship," Riku said. "Jack, who had the keychain from The Caribbean?"

"Rickson, sir." Jack answered promptly, falling into the expected attitude of apprentices meeting a master easily. "He was the most compatible with it, so we entrusted it to him."

"Right...that makes this a bit tricky then…" Riku hummed thoughtfully as he observed the entire party he had accumulated. "Alright, here's what we'll do: Jack and I will track down Rickson and Sari, see if there's a way to get a signal on either of their Gummi Phones since they haven't been answering our calls. The rest of you will follow the materia trail here, see if you can find the source of the thefts."

"Oh! Oh! I heard something about that!" Jack's eyes widened as he eagerly jumped up to get the group's attention. "I overheard something about a map to Treasure Planet being found and a group was going after it! I think their ship is the _RLS Lega_ … _Lego?_ "

"You mean that ship over there?" Marta pointed out as she snapped awake before slumping sleepily once more.

Just as Marta pointed out, there was a boat at a nearby dock, named the _RLS Legacy._ It seemed to be getting ready to depart since most of the sails had been opened and the engine hummed, getting louder by the second.

"No! It's leaving!" Gia yelled.

"We can't lose that ship," Riku said. He looked directly at the helm of the ship, focusing his vision on that exact spot. Everything around him began to slow down and blur in his periphery. When he had marked the exact spot he needed to go to, Riku glowed with a bright purple aura around him.

Lia turned to ask him what they were going to do, but found that he was no longer next to her. Only a trail of fading light effects was left behind. Riku, on the other hand, stood right next to the captain of the RLS Legacy, a humanoid woman with cat-like features.

"My word!" the woman exclaimed. She was not afraid of Riku, just slightly startled. She coughed into her gloved hand and then placed both hands behind her back as she asked, "Sir, where did you come from?"

Riku failed to answer her question. Instead, he responded with one of his own. "Are you the captain of this ship?"

"Why...yes I am. Who would like to know?"

"My name is Riku Hinode. I have an urgent matter to discuss with you before you depart from this port. Your life and the lives of everyone on this ship could be in jeopardy."

The captain eyed Riku suspiciously. Though she did not know him or trust him, she knew that she could not take his words lightly. She looked him up and down before finally telling him, "We can go speak in my private quarters _only_ if you answer this question. Where did you come from?"

Riku smirked and said, "I'd have to tell you that in private as well."

Amelia continued eying him before she finally conceded with a sharp, militaristic nod and gestured further into the ship, no doubt where her office was, and Riku followed, leaving the apprentices staring after him in shock that was so silent and so deep, they looked like statues...for all of five seconds.

Gia broke the silence by saying, "Wow! How did he do that?!"

Lia wore a grin as she said, "That's Flow Motion. It's a technique only the masters can use."

"Lea's never done anything like that," Gia said, pouting in disappointment and wondering if her master had been holding out on her all this time. Ooooh, if that was true, she was really going to kill him this time!

"He probably never learned to do it. I've never seen Master Aqua do it either, but she's a master nonetheless. All that matters is that it's a very advanced technique. Not one, we're ready for."

"Well, I mean, yeah! By this point, if any of the apprentices would know how to do that, it'd be us."

Lia acknowledged her sister's statement with a simple nod, leaving the silver-haired woman to fawn over the ability, while she, herself, turned to Jack and asked, "So Jack, what happened to you and the others?"

"Y-yeah, you're not the kind of guys to mess up that easily." Ryo nodded in agreement.

Jack scowled, hearing Ryo call his performance on his mission a mess up, but ignored him to answer Lia. "We were on our way here when we were ambushed by two silver-haired men. It was strange. They didn't need any armor to protect them from the darkness."

"Silver hair is a sign that someone has let darkness into their heart," Lia explained.

All eyes went directly to Gia. "Hey! Don't look at me! I'm the sweetest person you'll ever meet!"

"Then how's your hair silver?" Marta, obviously more awake now, asked while tilting her head to the side innocently, a finger tapping her chin.

Tifa laughed as she explained, "That's more of a general trend, rather than a law of nature."

"Yeah! Besides, my dad has silver hair! Duh!" Gia stuck her tongue out childishly.

"Plus Ienzo has silver-ish hair," Tifa added. "Riku's is silver too."

"To be fair, he did let darkness into his heart, once," Marta pointed out.

"Don't let him hear that," Tifa said with a finger on her lips. "This is something to be concerned about, though. My husband, Cloud, had a dark half a long time ago by the name of Sephiroth. If these men you encountered are connected to him, then we might be on the right trail by looking for the missing materia."

"I'm glad you agree, Tifa, because you're following it." Riku stated as he returned to the group at that exact moment. "Lia, Marta, the two of you, Gia and Ryo will be joining Tifa in following the materia trail on the _RLS Legacy_. Jack and I will track down Rickson and Sari in the meantime. The Captain, Amelia, understands the situation and has decided to keep it between the five of you, herself, and the first mate, Mr. Arrow. Thus the five of you are posing as her personal crewmembers. Keep your heads low, but your ears open. So you guys can know where we're going," he turned to Jack and asked, "what area were you and the others in before you were separated?"

"We were in the eastern sector of the Mistry Stream, just passing by Arendelle and Agrabah."

Gia interjected, "Oh! Lea and I were just in that area! We'd just left Agrabah before going home to the Land, but we went to a bunch of different worlds over there."

"I'm not too familiar with the worlds down there," Riku explained. "Before we started taking in apprentices, Sora, Kairi, and Ventus took most missions in the Misty Stream. Aqua and myself mostly stayed at the Land to keep it safe, and only went on missions in the Starlight Stream to stay close. After all, our bounty hunter friends were able to cover the rest and keep us updated."

"Master Roxas and Master Xion," Lia said.

"They never took the Mark of Mastery, but I'm sure they'd appreciated that you hold them in such high regard," Riku joked with his apprentice. "Gia, since you're familiar with the area, I'd like you to come with us."

"Really?!" Gia cried excitedly, her eyes sparkling."Let's get to it, come on, Lia!" She wrapped an arm around her sister and pulled her towards the Gummi Ship.

"Actually Gia, I think Tifa will need Lia on their mission. Ryo is still fairly new and Marta's...Marta."

"Hey!" Marta protested. Two short seconds later and she was snoozing again, though.

"B-but she and I just reunited after going so many months without seeing each other."

Lia shook her head and slipped her arm out of her sister's hold. "Gia, we've been given our orders. Think about the people that need you right now. Besides, it'll be good for you to get used to fighting with other styles outside of mine and Master Lea's. We won't always be your mission partners, after all."

Gia didn't like it but she did as Riku and her sister told her, walking with her new, smaller team back to the Highwind. She turned around to look at Lia, who offered her a small smile and wave. Gia returned the gestures and turned back to follow Riku and Jack into the ship.

When Lia turned towards the RLS Legacy, she was met with a wall of red obscuring her vision. "Excuse me, Ms. Geraldine, was it?" The voice came from above. Lia looked up to find that the wall had a face and clothes, even a black hat.

"Um...yeah, that's me."

Sounding as professional as anyone could be, the rock man informed her, "Captain Amelia has requested that you and the rest of your team board the ship at once. We are prepared to disembark."

"Oh! Yes. I apologize for keeping you all, Mr…"

"Mr. Arrow."

"Mr. Arrow," Lia repeated to end her sentence.

The rock man stepped aside so Lia could lead the others up the ramp and onto the ship. Mr. Arrow followed and gave orders to retract the ramp so that the ship could leave port. He then took them to the captain's quarters for some privacy. "I'd like to welcome you all aboard the RLS Legacy. Captain Amelia has informed me of your mission. I'd like you all to know that while on this ship, you will all be assigned jobs to provide the facade that you are sailors. Ms. Geraldine, you will be my personal liaison with your team, but I need you as a hand on deck."

Lia nodded and allowed Mr. Arrow to continue. "Ms. Lockhart, I will be appointing you as Dr. Doppler's personal bodyguard. Between us, neither the captain nor myself think much of the crew that the doctor has hired. You too will be a hand on deck, but make sure to always keep the doctor within your field of vision.

"Understood. Where would I find him?"

"He should be at the helm of the ship with Captain Amelia. Mr. Grace-"

Ryo jumped. "Y-yes, sir?"

"You will be down in the kitchen with the chef, Mr. Silver, and the young Mr. Hawkins."

"Y-yes sir."

"And that leaves Ms. Lesia."

"Ooh! Can I be up at the tippity top of the ship? Pretty please?"

Mr. Arrow nodded and said, "The crow's nest for you then. Do you all understand your responsibilities while onboard this ship?"

They said in unison, "Yes, sir."

"Very well. To your stations, then."

Lia and the others exited the captain's quarters to take their temporary posts. Mr. Arrow locked the door behind them and went to the deck to direct the crew for take off. Lia stood by him, while her teammates dispersed, all watching the departure in process. The sails glowed a bright golden color as they picked up solar winds and Crescentia shrunk behind them as they sailed through the stars.

"It's strange seeing the Ocean Between without glass in between," Lia said to herself. It was loud enough for Mr. Arrow to hear, though.

"Oh, yes. In other galaxies, ships are shaped differently, aren't they?"

"Yes. Our Gummi Ship has wings instead of sails and a protective dome around a cockpit. It doesn't need as many people to pilot, either."

"They're much smaller, though, are they not?"

"Yes, they are. You know, this ship does remind me of my home, though. My true home. They just sailed through clouds, not stars."

"The civilizations in these parts started out similarly."

As Mr. Arrow and Lia talked, they noticed a growing murmur coming from the deck. They both went to see what was happening only to find a brown-haired adolescent boy, an insectoid, and a cyborg in the middle of it. The insectoid held the boy up against the mast but released him when his arm was twisted by the cyborg.

"What's all this then?" Mr. Arrow thundered as he made his presence known to the crew. "You know the rules. There'll be no brawling on this ship. Any further offenders will be confined to the brig for the remainder of the voyage." He approached the insectoid and looked him in the eye with conviction. "Am I clear, Mr. Scroop?"

Scroop was hesitant to respond, looking rather annoyed, but finally agreed. "Transparently…" he said reluctantly.

"Well done, Mr. Arrow!" the cyborg cheered as the crowd broke. "A tight ship is a happy ship, sir!" Though Mr. Arrow left, Lia lingered behind. She noticed that Ryo was nearby as well. The cyborg picked up a mop at the other boy's feet and said, "Jimbo, I gave you a job-"

"Hey! I was doing it until that bug thing g-"

"Belay that! Now, I want this deck swabbed spotless and heaven help you if I come back and it's not done. Morph?" A small, gelatin-like creature with large eyes floated over to the cyborg with a curious look in his eyes. "I want you to keep an eye on this pup. Let me know if there be any more distractions."

As the cyborg faced away from the "Jimbo," (better referred to as by his actual name, Jim), he found himself facing another young adolescent, this one with black hair and a pale face. The cyborg's mechanical eye made a buzzing sound as it adjusted itself to take a good look at him "Another cabin boy?"

"Y-yes, sir. I-I'm Ryo."

"Well put 'er there, lad. You can call me Mr. Silver. Be a sport and help Jimbo out with mopping the deck, will 'ya?"

"Y-yes sir! Right away, sir!"

Mr. Silver handed him a mop and began walking towards the stairs that led down to the kitchen. While doing so, he noticed Lia, who was standing at the bottom of another set of stairs that led up to the helm of the ship. He eyed her, making sure to offer a flattering smile to her before continuing down below deck. Lia watched him carefully after what Mr. Arrow had told her and the others about the crew. She made a mental note to keep an eye on them before leaving to go with Mr. Arrow.

Now with only one other person on the deck, Ryo thought he should introduce himself to his fellow cabin boy. "H-hello…" Jim's brown eyes rose to meet Ryo's green eyes, though he seemed very sullen.

"Hi," he said weakly before dipping his mop into the bucket and squeezing out the water.

"S-so you're J-Jimbo, correct?"

"No, my name is Jim. _Jimbo's_ the stupid nickname that that freak keeps calling me."

"Mr. Silver? But he protected you from M-Mr. Scroop."

Hearing Ryo's words seemed to have stricken a chord inside Jim. The brown-haired boy looked out into the Ocean Between, letting that sink in. When he looked back down to continue ringing out his mop, he told Ryo, "Yeah, I guess you're right. So what brings you onboard? You don't seem like the others that Delbert hired."

"That's because I'm not."

This caused Jim to eye Ryo curiously, making the other boy feel nervous. Ryo scrambled through his thoughts, trying to remember what Riku had told Tifa and the apprentices about their arrangement with Captain Amelia. "Um...uh...yeah, we've sailed with Captain Amelia before so she asked us to come along for this trip. I-It's supposed to be dangerous so she thought it best to bring people she could trust. N-not that she c-can't trust you, of course!"

Jim chuckled, "Don't worry. I barely know that lady. She doesn't have much reason to trust me. No one on this ship does, really."

"Well I trust you," Ryo said as he squeezed the water out of his own mop and began mopping.

"How come?"

"I don't think you're a bad person, Jim. I can just k-kinda tell, you know?"

Jim nodded along to Ryo's words and smiled. "Yeah. I get that same feeling from you. You're alright, Ryo. Come on, we've got a lot to work to do."

Ryo smiled back at him. "Yeah." The two spent the rest of the day cleaning the deck spotless from top to bottom.

* * *

**Location:** The Ocean Between - Near the Dark Margin

As Kairi, Roxas and Xion gazed down at the world Kairi's heart had led them too, there was no denying the unease Kairi felt in her heart. After all, if she was following Sora's heart, then what did it mean that they ended up first in Radiant Garden and now...here of all places?

The world she was staring down at was yet another world she had been taken to when kidnapped. Formerly known, as The World That Never Was, it was a world with dark skyscrapers that stretched up to the sky and rain fell more often than the sun ever shone. It was a world that looked like an eternal night, lit only by the buildings it housed. It was a world that now went by the name Midnight City.

"Why would Sora's heart lead me here?" Kairi questioned aloud, confused.

"I'm not sure, but it could be worse." Xion smiled in conciliation. "I mean, we could've ended up on a world filled with people who wanted to kill us."

"Yeah, no, we're not going back to the Coliseum any time soon, I'm not letting Phil rope me into fighting _more_ Heartless only to fight a Titan sent by Hades to kill me or Sora _again_." Roxas sarcastically stated, earning a small laugh from Kairi, which seemed to be his goal as he smiled slightly.

Xion quipped, "Still, it looks like Sora's trying to remind you of all those times he saved you."

"Right, like I need a reminder," Kairi said, unknowingly sounding resentful.

Roxas and Xion glanced at each other. Roxas asked, "Everything okay over there, Kai?"

Kairi blinked her eyes rapidly and said, "Um...yeah. We should get going."

"Where?" Xion asked.

"Well I connected to Sora's heart on Radiant Garden when I was in a place tied very closely to us, so I imagine it would be the same here."

"Where would that be, though?" Xion was full of questions that day.

This time, Roxas answered, "If I were a betting man-"

"Which you are," Xion cut in.

Roxas rolled his eyes as he continued, "Then I'd say that it's at the top of the Castle That Never Was or now known as Rose Castle."

Xion threw her hands up, exasperated. "Right, of course. We just have to go to the most heavily guarded place on this world, which is now under the control of our former colleagues, who guess what? Know Kairi. How are we supposed to get her there without Lauriam and Elrena knowing?"

"Yeah...Ansem is one thing, but this is a whole different situation. Especially since they'll know as soon as we dock." Roxas nodded in agreement, trying to puzzle out a solution.

"Kairi. Are you _sure_ you don't want to just tell Riku what's going on? Truly sure?" Xion questioned, turning to Kairi with deadly serious eyes.

Kairi fell silent, hesitant in a way she hadn't been this whole trip as she pulled her Gummi Phone out of her pocket and just...stared at it. The interior of the Gummi Ship was dead silent as the bounty hunters waited for her answer. Kairi just stared down at her phone...and opened her mouth to answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wolfie: And there we are! So quick explanations: yes, Riku has a last name now, all the guardians will and shall pop up as needed (Hinode means 'sunrise' in Japanese, fitting his dawn theme, cause dawn in Japanese wasn't as pretty sounding). And yes, finally, after so long, we have finally given you the twins' full names! Combine that with the flashback dream from a few chapters ago and I'm sure you can figure out just who the twins are supposed to be and who their parents are! And now we have three plots on three different worlds happening at the same time! It's gonna be fun, I know it! 
> 
> Also, as Legacy said before, we ARE still accepting OCs and just so everyone knows, I'll keep track of how many Reapers and Ninjas we have at the chapter ends. Also, do let us know if you have any villain OCs, we will do our best with them as well!
> 
> I don't have much else to say, but everyone please stay safe and healthy, okay? The world isn't ending, but focus on yourselves and families first. I'm gonna do my best to and I know Legacy will too. We'll get through this, just like most of you did waiting for KH3 for so long. 
> 
> We'll see you all again as soon as we can!


	8. Gnawing Guilt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wolfie: Hello, everyone! Hope you're doing well! It's been a little while, but we hope this chapter makes up for it, it's REALLY long (it could've been longer even, but Legacy and I decided to cut it shorter). First off, thanks to ShadowWolf223 (Thank you!) and Antex-the Legendary Zoroark (I'm glad you're enjoying, hopefully this chapter is a delight!) for reviewing, all 9 followers, 6 favorites and 649 readers! Now, this chapter is affectionately known by Legacy and myself as the Musical Chapter and we had fun writing it! Also, all previous chapters and the encyclopedia have been updated with new information, so feel free to go back and reread!
> 
> Legacy's A/N: Wolfie and I recommend you read one scene while listening to the song "Ma Belle Evangeline" by Jim Cummings and another while listening to the song "Dig a Little Deeper" by Jenifer Lewis.

**Chapter 6: Gnawing Guilt**

* * *

**Location:** Ocean Between - Misty Stream

The Highwind soared through the stars, Riku's grip on the handles was tight enough to make his knuckles blanch from inadequate circulation. He was going to find them. He needed to. This was the only thing he focused on throughout the flight, not having said a word to the apprentices after telling Jack to keep calling Sari on his Gummi Phone when they left Crescentia.

Gia felt uncomfortable. Though she had spent the whole day with Riku, she was not yet comfortable with him. Not to mention that she was even less familiar with the other apprentice, Jack. She hoped Lia would accompany her to ease her into the overall dynamic of the group. Being the only apprentice to always be away from the others left her feeling excluded. This uncomfortable feeling Gia was experiencing manifested itself physically as she sat with her feet on her seat, hugging her knees. She thought about her sister and hoped that everything was okay with her.

Gia broke from her thoughts when a Gummi Phone rang. She looked over to Jack who scrambled to answer his but the young man only found a black screen.

"Kairi?" It was Riku's Gummi Phone.

"H-Hi Riku…"

Riku noted that she looked concerned and that her hair was slightly messy, indicating that something was wrong. "Kairi, what's wrong? You're inside a Gummi Ship."

"Y-yeah...so are you," she pointed out. "A-are you on a mission?" Kairi twirled a strand of her hair. Riku had come to know that as a sign of anxiety. He could tell that she was nervous. "I'm sorry to interrupt if you are. W-well I'm sorry r-regardless. You're so busy, after all."

"Kairi, it's okay." Riku switched the ship to autopilot to give Kairi his full attention. His voice was soft as he said, "Just tell me what's wrong."

Kairi inhaled sharply and she looked up from the screen. Her eyes blinked a couple times as they became glossy with tears that threatened to spill.

"Kairi?"

She looked down at the screen, a tear trailing down her cheek and dripping from her chin. She forced a smile as she wiped her eye and said, "Riku, I need you to make a promise to me, please."

"Kairi, you're starting to worry me."

"Please, Riku."

With a sigh, the Keyblade Master reluctantly said, "Sure, anything."

Kairi took in another breath and said, "I need you to promise me that no matter what you're doing, you need to stick to your responsibilities."

Riku wanted to say no, but he knew that Kairi wouldn't tell him what she needed to say if he did. "I promise."

"Sora's gone."

Riku's eyes widened with confusion. "Gone? What do you mean gone? Gone where?"

"I-I-I don't know where he is, but I'm looking for him, I promise. Roxas and Xion…" Kairi looked to her right then back at Riku. "They're with me. They're helping."

Riku didn't believe what he was hearing. "They didn't mention that they were on their way to see you."

"That's because they weren't...I was already with them. I-I hid from you on Radiant Garden and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I've been keeping this from you since I found out last night and I just kept dragging people into this to keep you from finding out."

"B-but why?"

"Riku, you're busy and you have people counting on you. Sora is your best friend. I know he means a lot to you, but I didn't want you to drop everything on your plate for him. I know it was wrong of me to keep this from you, but you have to understand, Riku…"

The silver-haired man bit his lip and looked off to the side. He didn't know what to make of what he just heard.

"Riku?"

"Kai...Kairi, I...where are you?"

"Riku, I can't tell you, because then you're going to come. You promised. Please, let us handle this."

Riku pursed his lips and sank into his seat, unsure of what to do now. "Kairi, you expect me to just abandon Sora?"

"You're not abandoning him. I expect you to trust me to find him."

"Trust you? Kairi, you've been hiding this from me. I _can't_ trust you!" Kairi was shaken by his sudden outburst, as were the apprentices, and even Roxas and Xion off screen. After a heavy breath, Riku sighed and said, "The honest truth is that I couldn't drop my current mission even if I wanted to, so I have no choice, but to leave Sora to you for now. But Kairi, I want you to know that as soon as I finish here, I'm going to look for Sora. It would be easier to help if you told me where you are. Otherwise, I'll just be going from world to world aimlessly."

Kairi nodded. She knew that this wasn't the end of the matter, but considering that he was unavailable at the moment, she knew that, at the very least, he knew. Now she could proceed with the search without hiding it any longer. "Call me when you can come, and I'll tell you then." Riku nodded. "Riku...other people besides Roxas and Xion know, but I made them promise not to tell you."

"You've always been a fan of promises." A memory of Kairi and Sora sharing a paopu fruit flashed into the redhead's mind. "Who else knows?"

Kairi shook her head. "I know this will only make you angrier, but I can't tell you. I think it's only right if they tell you when they're ready."

" _If_ they ever become ready," Riku corrected. "You know, you're casting a lot of doubt among everyone. I hope you're proud of yourself, Kairi. I've got to go. We'll be in touch." Riku clicked on her, put his Gummi Phone away, and went back to flying the ship. The interior of the Highwind was silent before, but the tension in the air was now palpable, making it hard for Gia to swallow the lump she had been holding in her throat. She and Jack shared a glance but exchanged no words as they allowed their leader to drive in silence.

* * *

**Location:** Midnight City

Kairi had never actually walked around through the streets of Midnight City, even when it was named the World That Never Was. When Saix had taken her from Axel, she was warped directly into a cell inside the Castle That Never Was through a Dark Corridor. Unlike Radiant Garden, which had become a safe place to be in after being restored, Kairi never wanted to return to this place, especially since it was so close to the Realm of Darkness and as such, had a huge problem that made it practically uninhabited.

And yet, despite all the hardships living in such a world would no doubt create, Midnight City _wasn't_ uninhabited in the least bit, with some of its population all having the ability to defend themselves and this world from the forces of darkness, as effectively as any member of the New Order could.

Even still, despite knowing all this, Kairi still felt much better knowing she had Roxas and Xion at her side, especially since the two often visited Midnight City in order to gain information regarding their bounty hunting targets.

She was also extremely grateful that Roxas let her borrow a jacket, considering it was _pouring_ in Midnight City.

"Why does it always rain when I'm here?" Roxas sighed, ducking his head down so the rain didn't fall into his eyes.

"Maybe you're bad luck?" Xion guessed with a cheeky grin, happily brushing her wet bangs aside as she stared straight ahead. For a reason Roxas apparently couldn't fathom, but Kairi completely understood, Xion loved the rain. It was the opposite element of the one that her dear friend favored, yet together the two elements made a beautiful sunset, just like the ones on Destiny Islands.

"Thanks, Xion." Roxas laughed sarcastically, shaking his hair to free it of raindrops, similar to a dog, but not gaining the effect he wanted. The rain still fell down his cheeks and forehead, causing his hair to stick uncomfortably.

"Maybe it's a rejuvenating rain, meant to heal this world." Kairi mused, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear under the jacket Roxas provided her's hood. "So you bringing the rain is like you're bringing healing to the world, attempting to wash the darkness away after so long."

"That was…" Roxas trailed off, his eyes darting to Kairi in wide eyed surprise, as if he couldn't believe the words she spoke.

"Really poetic, Kairi." Xion grinned as she finished her partner's sentence. A second later, however, her smile fell. "If only it actually worked."

Kairi looked up in surprise, only to narrow her eyes for a split second after. A pool of darkness surrounded the group and, of course, Neo Shadows began to writhe and shift as they rose from the pool, surrounding the group of three Keyblade Wielders, outnumbering them easily five to one.

"Damn, they ambushed us!" Roxas cursed as he quickly summoned Two Become One. "Stand back to back, don't let them sneak up on us again!"

"Right!" Xion nodded, quickly summoning Oathkeeper and following Roxas' stance almost exactly. Kairi could see the years of experience the two had of fighting side by side, back to back, in who knows how many life threatening situations. From their time in Organization XIII to every job they ever took as bounty hunters together.

And yet, they trusted her enough to leave part of their backs to _her_ , of all people. She refused to let them down. Summoning Destiny's Embrace into her hand, she turned her back to the two bounty hunters and nodded firmly.

"Okay!"

From that point, there was no more time to discuss strategy at all.

The Neo Shadows swarmed, their claws striking out with the intent of cutting the three puny humans to pieces by the sheer force of numbers they had on them.

But that was their first mistake.

When the first strike of claws came towards her, Kairi swung Destiny's Embrace, catching the claws on the Keyblade's shaft. In the next instance, she had cast a small Water spell, just the barest amount, before casting a Blizzard spell right after and the rain that fell around her created a shield of ice, blocking the claws she could not catch. The moment her shield formed, Kairi threw back the Neo Shadows she caught and kept them away with a quick Flower Shoot. The Neo Shadows screamed as the light attack hit them, the blue veins of their body brightening in reaction to their screams.

Roxas, on the other hand, had cut through the middle of the Neo Shadows that had attempted to attack him, Two Become One easily slicing through the stomach of several Heartless at once. As soon as those screamed in pain, the blonde turned his body and landed a solid round house kick on the remaining swarming Heartless, causing the Neo Shadows to stumble back. Using their stumbling to his advantage, Roxas briefly shot forward, reversing his grip on his Keyblade, and swung it in a full circle as he twisted his body. At the last moment, right before the remaining Neo Shadows could sink their claws into his flesh, Roxas back flipped out of the swarm and landed right back where he started, with his back to Kairi and Xion. The Heartless, on the other hand, clawed at each other instead.

And then, there was Xion, who ducked down to avoid the first swipe of claws, only to cut down the legs of several Neo Shadows the moment she did, sending them to the ground. The ones she missed, she cut down as she shot back up with a well timed Thundara spell and a solid elbow to the face of one particularly stubborn Heartless. The moment the Neo Shadows fell, Xion quickly raised Oathkeeper and casted her strongest Firaga, causing the Heartless to catch on fire and scream in pure agony. But that wasn't enough, as some still pushed back onto their feet, leading to Xion blocking the claws for a second before she cut them down with one strong strike of Oathkeeper in the next moment, not giving them a moment to rest. And the ones that somehow survived all that? She used Aeroga to lift them in the air and smash them into the ground, killing them instantly.

As soon as the swarm of Neo Shadows dissipated, the three shared a look, unable to find the words they needed.

Thankfully (or not), that was the moment they heard a scream.

" _Ravi!_ "

Without saying a single word, the three Guardians of Light took off running. A fairly good distance from where they had been fighting, they found a group of three surrounded by another swarm of Neo Shadows.

But this one was even larger than the one they had faced and Kairi could easily see the lines of exhaustion in the three struggling against them.

_"_ _Let me go, I have to get to her!"_ One of the three, a dark skinned woman with scruffy black hair, screamed as she tried to wretch her arm out of the sole male's grasp.

"No way in hell am I letting you do that! Your Noise form will only make this worse for everyone!" The man snapped, his brown eyes narrowed as he barely dodged a claw and then had to yank the woman in his grasp away from another one, which resulted in him getting a graze to his wrist where he held her.

_"_ _But she's my-"_

_"_ _Dammit, Shanandee, just fight, goddammit!"_ The other woman, a dark skinned blonde, snapped. She was separated from the other two, cutting through Neo Shadow after Neo Shadow with a thin, white scythe. Blood dripped from various wounds on her body, yet she continued to fight, her glare as sharp as her scythe.

But even Kairi could see that the three didn't have long left before they lost all their remaining energy to fight. Sharing a brief look with Roxas and Xion, she nodded once before raising Destiny's Embrace.

"Waterga!"

Instantly, the rain turned into razor sharp needle points and _slammed_ into the Neo Shadows mercilessly. It wasn't enough to kill them, but it gave Kairi the time she needed to duck into the swarm surrounding the heavily injured woman and pull her out, while Xion pushed the man and the woman who had screamed towards her. Roxas, on the other hand, kept the eyes of all the Heartless on him until Kairi gave a single wave.

The three were safe.

It was all the sign he needed.

"Xion!" Roxas screamed.

"Got it!" Xion yelled right back, waving her hand high in the air. "Thundaga!" The thunder was perfect for the weather they were in, causing the electricity to run up the Neo Shadows entirely with a single strike.

But that wasn't the end.

Instead, each Neo Shadow was killed by a swift strike from Roxas, wielding both Two Become One _and_ Oathkeeper as if they were mere extensions of his body. He fought as if he were dancing, easily avoiding every strike of claws and needing only the minimal backup from Xion's magic.

In the end, the final Neo Shadow fell to a small Thunder spell right before Two Become One cut through it.

Kairi almost gasped in awe. She always forgot just how in sync Roxas and Xion were when they fought side by side like this. They truly were the best partner for each other, with Lea rounding out their trio quite nicely.

The redhead tried to ignore the small pang in her heart as she began to wonder again if she belonged with these two. She quickly reminded herself that she had helped in both these battles. There was no reason for her to question her place with them. Instead, Kairi turned to the three she, Roxas, and Xion saved and focused her attention on healing them properly. Within minutes, the blood that had seemed to never end stopped flowing and the wounds each of the three bore vanished as if they had never been there to begin with.

As soon as all three were healed, the dark haired woman practically _launched_ herself at the blonde woman.

"Ravi! You're okay, I was so worried!" The dark haired woman sobbed. The blonde woman, however, removed the other woman's arms and stood up, walking a short distance away.

"Stop that, Shandanee." Ravi said as she glared at the dark haired woman, Shanadanee it seemed. "There's no time for that."

"But…! But…!"

"I said enough!"

"Well, aren't you two getting along fantastically?" The sole man drawled, running a hand through his brown streaked with white hair. "Didn't even bother to thank the nice woman for healing us."

"Shut up, Eric!" The two women snapped, one loudly (Shandanee) and the other quietly (Ravi).

"Whatever." The man, Eric, shrugged before he turned to Kairi. "Thanks, anyway. Haven't seen you around before."

"No, but you've seen us." Xion grinned as she stepped over and waved at the three.

"Ah! Lady Xion!" Shandanee gasped, her eyes practically _sparkling_ as she gazed up at the black haired Guardian of Light. "And Lord Roxas too!"

"Hey, come on…" Xion chuckled, awkwardly.

"That's still weird…" Roxas groaned, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Ignore them. So, you two traveling with her?" Eric asked, gesturing to Kairi with a nod of his head.

"Yes. We are on a...job with her." Xion confirmed.

"I'm Kairi." Kairi introduced herself, holding a hand out to Eric, which the man lazily shook.

"We're here to see Lauriam. Mind leading the way for us?" Roxas asked, holding a hand out to Kairi to help her up, which she gratefully accepted.

"I dunno...think the Master will agree to see 'em?" Eric asked, turning his head towards the standing women, still on the ground himself.

"Lady Xion and Lord Roxas? Of course he would!" Shandanee insisted, her fists clenched tightly.

"I suppose…" Ravi sighed, crossing her arms, subtly shifting away from the group. "As long as I'm not the one leading them."

"I'll go with you, Ravi!" Shandanee grinned, turning to the blonde woman instantly.

"Absolutely not." Ravi shot that down right away.

"So it's _my_ job?" Eric groaned, laying on the ground and not appearing as if he planned to move anytime soon.

"They're certainly...unique." Kairi smiled slightly as she whispered to Roxas and Xion. Not that she could talk. She was pretty sure she, Sora and Riku were plenty 'unique' on their own, never mind her, Roxas and Xion.

"You don't even know the best part." Roxas smirked at her.

"Oh?" Kairi raised an eyebrow, curiosity shining in her eyes.

"They're all Nobodies, Reapers that serve under Lauriam. I think you knew him as Marluxia." Xion smiled as she explained.

Kairi wasn't sure if Roxas and Xion's snorted laughter was due to her now gaping mouth...or the antics of the three Reapers they were still standing around with. They were completely opposite of the stoic Organization XIII members that the redhead met when she was fifteen, after all.

* * *

**Location:** The Ocean Between - The Milky Galaxy

The search for Rickson and Sari continued through the Ocean Between as Riku flew the Highwind from world to world. After the third world that they had visited, Gia could no longer bear to be apart from her sister again so she dug under her shirt for her necklace with the "L" pendant. Even though it could not replace Lia, the pendant always helped remind Gia of the bond they shared, putting her at ease. That was not the case this time, though. Because Gia had higher expectations than usual for spending time with her sister, she felt cheated by the universe. The woman curled up in her seat and buried her face into her knees.

"Hey, Gia?"

"Mmm?" The silver-haired woman lifted her head to the side to find Jack looking at her with concern.

"We'll find Rickson and Sari soon."

Gia let out a sigh and did her best to smile. She nodded and said, "Yeah. I know."

"And then we'll be able to meet back up with Lia and the others."

Gia's smile grew a little more as she repeated herself, more gingerly this time.

The mood changed when Riku swiveled in his seat and went down to business. "Gia, the next world is one I've never been to. Can you come look at the map to see if you recognize it?"

Gia nodded and walked over to the central dashboard to take a look at the world. Her eyes furrowed from confusion as she said, "I don't think that's one I recognize either."

"How could that be?" Jack asked. "An artificial world? Or is it a large animal?"

Riku shook his head. "Doesn't seem to be either of those. New worlds are being born all the time. It keeps Ventus up at night sometimes trying to update the maps." He almost cracked a smile there.

"Does it seem like a big world?" Gia asked. She hoped the answer was no.

"Can't say just by looking at it."

Gia let out another sigh before returning to her seat.

* * *

**Location:** New Orleans - The Bayou

It had been hours since Sari had woken up in a swamp, covered in grime, and she had still yet to encounter anyone who could tell her where she was. Her silk battle dress was absolutely filthy and soaking from the combination of the swamp water and the rain that had fallen for a short period earlier. Sari had removed the veil that typically covered her mouth and placed it in her item pouch. She would discard it later, but she refused to do so now because that would mean littering. At the end of the day, her location and her outfit's condition were of little consequence to her. On a normal day, she would be absolutely livid about how dirty she was, but in this case, what she really cared about was that Rickson was still nowhere to be found.

As Sari stepped through the murky waters in the cold dead of night, she lit the tip of her Keyblade with a weak, yet stable glow to light her way, but it did little to keep her warm. Even with the light coming from her weapon, she was still surrounded in darkness because of the thick canopy of trees above her that blocked out the night sky. Was she in Deep Jungle? Maybe Scotland? She prayed she was not in the Pride Lands. That would mean having to use her magic to transform into an animal to not disturb the locals.

After several more minutes of walking, a faint beam of light broke through the foliage. Sari followed the light, hoping to reach some civilization, but all she found was a small pond in a clearing. At least she could see the stars in the sky, one of which stood out from all the others as the largest and brightest of them all. Seeing all the stars, reminded her of all the worlds in the universe, specifically her two homes. When she began thinking of the Land of Departure, her mind went back to Rickson.

Sari dug through her item pouch for a guitar pick, a gift from Rickson on their first date. She smiled down at it as it brought back wonderful memories of that day before placing it against her chest. Her dichromatic eyes floated back up to the sky as she whispered, "Just wait a little longer."

Sari put the pick away and began walking around the pond, but stopped when she heard a voice. She quickly stopped fueling the light spell and crouched down to remain hidden as she concentrated on the sound of...singing?

_"_ _Look how she lights up the sky.  
Ma Belle Evangeline"_

"Aha! That ain't no fi-" The second voice was quickly cut off, the first paying it no mind as it continued.

_"_ _So far above me yet I  
Know her heart belongs to only me  
_ _Je t'adore, Je t'aime Evangeline  
You're my queen of the night  
So still  
So bright  
That someone as beautiful as she  
Could love someone like me"_

Though she could hear the voice clearly, Sari could not find the origin. There was a firefly floating on the edge of the pond, but no one else was in sight. That is, until she saw an alligator nearby. Luckily for her, it had yet to notice her, so she quickly began scanning the area for others. Despite there being a dangerous animal nearby, the singing continued, which made Sari question whether it was actually a human singing.

There were even more voices, but they were much lower than the singer's so it was difficult for Sari to make out what they were saying. She knew that it was a third male voice and a female voice, though. Then there was the sound of a...trumpet? This was completely unexpected, but what took the cake for Sari was the fact that the trumpeter was the alligator!

Now that she knew she was on a world with sentient animals, Sari quickly transformed herself into a salamander, the first animal she could think of that would possibly belong to a wetland biome. Now, much smaller, she crawled through the shrubs to get a better view of what was happening. The pink and red-spotted salamander made her way on top of a rock and found a pair of frogs dancing on lily pads while the firefly, which she could now identify as the singer, provided a romantic ambiance by lighting the water lillies that floated around them and then beaming a spotlight with soft shades of pink and green onto them as they moved elegantly inside the water.

The sight brought yet another smile to Sari's face as she watched the pair leap into the air, arching over the brightest star in the sky. As the two slowly leaned in to kiss each other, Sari slipped down from the rock, quietly cursing her slimy form. This caught the attention of the other animals. The female frog took this opportunity to quickly back away from the male, looking down with a hint of disappointment. When the female frog regained her composure, she greeted Sari, "H-hello. You lost there?"

Sari picked herself up onto all fours and nodded. "Yeah, sorry about interrupting. I just couldn't help, but get carried away with that beautiful performance. The singing, the dancing, the trumpet playing, it was all wonderful!"

The other animals looked at one another with smiling faces, all feeling good about Sari's compliment.

The female frog was the first to speak as she responded, "Thank you, but Naveen, here, did all of the work. Truth, be told, that was my first time ever dancing."

Sari shook her head and said, "Nonsense. Dancing as gracefully and elegantly as that takes two. My name is Sari." She stood up on her hind legs and put a hand forward.

"I'm Tiana. This is Ray, Louis, and Nav-" As Tiana was about to introduce the male frog, he was whisked away by a slithering shadow.

"Ah! Tiana!"

"Naveen!"

_Heartless?! What could they want with that frog?_ Sari would have to think about it on the go because she needed to get a move on to keep up with the others. Unfortunately, her choice in transformation was a rather poor one in terms of mobility. She was left with little choice but to change back.

"Tiana!" Sari called. "Do humans exist here?"

"What?!"

Sari repeated, "Do _humans_ exist?!"

"Yes, but why is that important?!" Tiana got her answer when the salamander glowed brightly until she was a full grown human sprinting across the swamp. The frog stopped dead in her tracks at the surprising reveal and was almost crushed by Louis for doing so.

"You're not going anywhere!" Sari summoned Guiding Gladiolus and called out, "Holy!"

With Keyblade raised high above her head, Sari channeled her magic through her weapon, and called forth mighty pillars of light to vanquish the crawling shadows. Naveen fell into the swamp water, only to re-emerge from the shallows trapped inside a large Water Core's liquid shell. Several more, smaller Water Cores and some Creeper Plant appeared around it and began surrounding Sari and the others while the leader made its escape.

Tiana hopped beside Sari and said, "We can't let it take Naveen!"

"We won't." The redhead looked over at the fleeing Heartless, only to have her view of it intentionally obscured by one of its lackeys. She then turned her head to look at Tiana and the others, finding the largest of them, Louis, to be the most frightful while Ray the firefly was ready to throw down. Even with his and Tiana's help, Sari knew she would have to protect them all from harm.

Two of the Water Cores liquified themselves and rushed forward as a small torrent of water. Sari immediately threw up a Barrier around herself and the others to block the incoming attacks. As her glass-like dome cracked upon impact, Sari pointed her Keyblade upward and destroyed her own defense, sending out the hexagonal panels. The translucent shards struck the closest Heartless and even some of the ones that kept their distance.

The Creeper Plants shot glowing brown pellets at Sari, so she reacted with another Barrier, following it up with a Counter Blast again. This left the group vulnerable to a flying sphere of water from one of the Water Cores. The sphere exploded against Sari's Keyblade, knocking her down into the murky water. She let out a whimper as her head hit the mud, allowing water to slip into her lunges. She rolled onto her hands and knees, coughing uncontrollably.

Seeing this, Ray grew very angry and lit up brightly as he flew at a nearby Water Core. The physical light burned the dark creature, making it wail in pain. As the monster flinched, Ray moved onto the next one, keeping them distracted while evading the Creeper Plant's attacks.

Louis, on the other hand, was having a much harder time with the projectiles, getting hit in the gut, then the rear, and finally in the head before falling over unconscious. This created a small wave that washed Tiana away, leaving her right in front of a Creeper Plant. The monster took notice and went down for a bite. Fortunately, Tiana was able to leap away just in time to avoid its snapping jaw. She did not have much time to catch her breath, though as another Creeper Plant was going for a strike. The frog kept on her digits to avoid being plant food.

Sari drove her Keyblade's tip into the mud to support herself as she stood to fight, still coughing up the murky water slightly. She would have wiped her mouth with her sleeve if it wasn't already soaking wet. Noticing that Tiana was having trouble with Creeper Plants, Sari focused on them next. She pointed Guiding Gladiolus at them and fired off a Pearl spell .The ball of light purified the dark creature, allowing it to fade from existence.

Though another enemy was defeated, Sari had little time to rest since she was blindsided by one of the Water Cores that had turned itself into pure water. As it reformed, Sari shot another Pearl spell, vaporizing another monster. With only a handful left, Sari noticed a glowing light flickering inside one of the remaining Water Core's bubble. It was Ray! Another ball of light flew from Sari's Keyblade, but the Heartless evaded it by liquifying itself, flushing the firefly with it as it reformed. It then shot pellets of water at her, which she evaded with a slide, surrounding herself with a small vortex of water from beneath her feet. Her liquid shield also allowed her to obscure her next attack, which was a fast Strike Raid. Guiding Gladiolus cut through the whirling water and then through the Water Core like a saw blade. As the monster faded, Ray was left in freefall so Sari dove forward to catch him, holding him close to her without crushing him.

Tiana hopped onto Sari's shoulder and asked, "What are we gonna' do? We're barely holding on!"

Sari noticed that they were no longer surrounded by Heartless. Their enemies were still standing between them and Naveen, but she could handle this. Seeing that Ray's light affected them so much, the redhead charged light energy in the tip of her Keyblade before unleashing a brilliant volley at the remaining enemies, burning them with pure radiance.

Louis sat upright, rubbing his head as he asked, "Is that all of them?"

"There's still the one that took Naveen," Tiana pointed out.

Sari nodded. "Right. We better keep moving." She opened her palm and looked into it. "Are you doing okay, little guy?"

Ray shook himself and held a thumbs up. "I'm alright, darlin'! Thanks for the save back there."

Sari smiled at him and said, "You're very welcome."

As the firefly floated off of her hand, Sari ran forward with the others accompanying her. Soon, they caught up to the Major Water Core, who called forth more underlings.

"Oh no!" Louis said. "Not more of them! What are we gon' do?"

Sari took her fighting stance, standing up straight with her Keyblade held tightly to her side. "We fight." Just as she charged forward, bolts of light energy flew from behind the Heartless, obliterating each and every one of them. Naveen splashed in the water as he fell to the ground.

The others came to a stop as they noticed a large shadowy silhouette approaching through a thick mist. With a club raised high above its head, Tiana and the others all gasped, but Sari could sense nothing but light emanating from this being. It was quite curious, but she had little time to dwell on that thought because the mystic presence soon cut through the mist to reveal a little old woman.

She seemed to laugh to herself as she said, "Not bad for a 197-year-old blind lady." The woman held a club-like wand, its tip blazing with light magic, which she put out with a quick twirl and then a blow. Her joyful demeanor dissolved as she asked, "Now which one of you naughty children been messing with the Shadow Man?"

Louis was quick to point Naveen out, who himself, could not deny this.

* * *

**Location:** Land of Heroes- Island

Jack was many things and among those many things included the fact that he was someone who could, most of the time, easily break tension when it filled a room.

So, that was exactly what he tried to do.

"Man, it's really hot here. I thought islands were supposed to be more temperate than this. Or, at least, that's how Ryo always talked about his home. What do you say, Master?"

"I don't see a difference." Master Riku answered curtly, not looking too pleased with the conversation, if the look he sent Jack's way was any indication.

Wincing slightly (that was an all too familiar look when training went too far), Jack focused his attention on Gia instead.

"Say, Gia, you ever been to a world like this before? I've been all over the past year and nine months I've been training, but what about you?"

"It's fine...no big deal." Gia answered, her eyes looking far away, clouded with worry.

Jack felt his smile fall at the lack of response. From what he knew of Gia, and how the others spoke of her, she was always energetic and excitable. The same was true of Master Riku, who Jack knew as a calm and collected individual, steady as a rock in times of distress.

The fact that both weren't acting like themselves...made everything so much worse as an awkward and tense silence fell over them while they trudged further into the jungle.

The silence started to feel as if it was physically resting on Jack's shoulders, making it hard to breathe almost. It was choking, almost as suffocating as the guilt that wouldn't leave him alone. It was horrible, but he had only himself to blame.

If only he had paid more attention, had been more comfortable with so few people around, he wouldn't have been so caught off guard when Loz and Yazoo had attacked them, they wouldn't have needed to be saved by Cloud! They were members of the New Order, apprentices of Masters Riku and Aqua and had been training together for almost two years now, never mind how much longer both Sari and Rickson had been training than Jack himself. They should've been able to handle that! _Jack_ should've been able to handle that, but instead...instead…!

"Hey, Jack? You doing okay? Not too hard walking through here, is it?" Gia's voice cut through Jack's spiraling thoughts as easily as a Keyblade, or a pickaxe. When he looked up, her eyes were clearer, though it was obvious she was still worried about her sister, back on the RLS Legacy.

"Huh? Y-yeah...I'm fine." Jack forced a smile. He couldn't let them know, Master Riku would be so disappointed. And Master Aqua...Jack refused to let his Master down, he just couldn't. Not anymore than he already did.

"Hmm...I dunno…" Gia hummed as she looked at him more closely. "I mean, it _is_ hard to move out here. Even I'm having trouble."

"That's cause you're not much taller than me." Jack allowed a more genuine smile to grow on his lips.

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Gia exploded, glaring at Jack, causing some birds to fly off, calling out as they did so. But it was completely true. Gia only had four inches on Jack and every inch may count, but that wasn't _that_ much. Jack startled to giggle a bit. He forgot how much he enjoyed messing with Gia, she got angry over the slightest thing.

"Keep quiet, you two. We don't know what could be here." Master Riku warned, causing both apprentices to fall silent, though Jack could see Gia pouting in the corner of his eye. Master Riku held an arm out to stop their advance then, looking around cautiously. "There's something here…"

Jack bit his tongue so he remained silent, ignoring the uncomfortable shivers climbing his spine as he did so. That was when he heard the faint rustling of the branches.

"MOVE!" Master Riku suddenly shouted and Jack instinctively rolled to the side.

As soon as he did, the ground shook fiercely, as if an earthquake had struck. Looking up, Jack gasped as he came eye to eye with a giant robot that sorta reminded him of a spider. It was tall, taller than the trees above them, and was made of dark metal (some form of steel, Jack thought. It looked sturdy, that was for sure), with what looked like a camera on top, its red light trained on the three Keyblade wielders.

This…? This was not good. Not good at all.

* * *

**Location:** New Orleans - Mama Odie's House

When they reached Mama Odie's house, Sari had been shocked to discover that the old woman lived in an amazing tree, she was pretty sure it was a cypress, with a large boat smashed between its top, though she could not understand how such a thing was even possible.

Still, despite the fact that she lived in a shipwreck in a tree, the old woman's residence was quite beautiful, filled with bottles that caught the light where it came through the wrecks in the boat and all sorts of supplies Mama Odie must require for her voodoo magic. It was all simply fascinating, in Sari's opinion.

Her thoughts, however, were interrupted by Tiana, as the female frog hopped behind Mama Odie.

"We're so glad we found you, Mama Odie. Ray and Loius here have been telling us all about you. We've been traveling quite a long way, and you can't imagine what we've been through. And we-" Tiana cut herself off suddenly and when Sari turned back in surprise, she found that the female frog had stopped when she noticed a jar with a pair of eyeballs and teeth floating within, before she continued speaking, stuttering, "-a-and we heard that you-"

"Juju!" Mama Odie called out, cutting off Tiana. A second later, a slender, lime green snake with dark yellow spots on its back and light pink eyes with red slit pupils dropped down from the ceiling and hissed, causing Mama Odie to laugh as she turned towards the snake. "Come on over here, you bad boy!" The snake, Juju, proceeded to nuzzle against the old woman's face. Sari practically cooed at the sight, he was so cute! Mama Odie then cooed, "Give a little sugar now." The old woman suddenly began to kiss her pet snake on the mouth. In the corner of Sari's eye, she could see the uncomfortable looks on Tiana and Naveen's faces, while Louis pretended to gag at the sight. Sari simply giggled, finding their reactions amusing. "Ya'll just loves your Mama, don't cha?" The old woman smiled before she suddenly stretched Juju out and began to use him as a walking stick to navigate her home, turning back slightly to call back, "Good to see you, Ray!" Juju's head accidentally hit a bell, which Sari _did_ wince at, sympathy running down her spine. "How's your grandmama?"

"Oh, she's fine." Ray laughed. "Got in a little trouble for flashing the neighbors again."

"Ooooh! I like that girl's spunk." Mama Odie grinned, laughing a bit as she sat down in a chair.

"Mama Odie." Tiana spoke up as she and Naveen hopped onto the old woman's armrest. "We don't want to take up too much of your time-"

Suddenly, a hand was shoved into the frogs' faces, containing a few pieces of old, hairy candy and, surprisingly, a small key, cutting the female frog off.

"Ya'll want some candy?" Mama Odie offered.

"Uhhhhh, not really." Naveen shook his head, grimacing in slight disgust.

"No thank you." Tiana declined, a bit more polite than her fellow human-turned-frog.

"Why not?" Sari smiled kindly, taking a piece of candy and casually tossing it over her shoulder, catching it behind her back with the same hand in order to create the illusion that she ate it. No need to hurt such a sweet old woman's feelings.

"Weeeell now that's too bad for you froggies." Mama Odie said, wiping a piece of candy on her robe to clean it. "It's a special candy. It would've turned ya'll human." As the two frogs then began to plead for it, the old woman happily tossed it into her mouth. At their looks of disappointment, she began to laugh uproariously. "I'm just messin' with ya'll!"

"How on Earth did you know that we wanted to turn ba-" Tiana started to ask, only to cut herself off as Mama Odie began to snore, loudly.

"Oh, dear...she actually fell asleep. I thought only my grandma did that in winter." Sari chuckled, amused.

"Umm, Mama Odie?" Naveen nervously called, gingerly poking the voodoo woman's sunglasses. Suddenly, Mama Odie shot up, startling Naveen and causing him to fall back as she stood up and yelled, "Juju!" The snake in question, who was napping just like his owner, sprung up from his coiled position on the floor, watching as Mama Odie made her way towards a boiling...bathtub. "Why didn't you tell me my gumbo was burning?!"

"You sure this is the right blind voodoo lady who lives in a boat in a tree in a bayou?" Louis asked Ray quietly, suddenly looking unsure.

"Pretty sure." Ray shrugged, looking much less worried than Louis did. Sari turned her attention back towards the old woman, making her way towards the bathtub to peek inside and watch the voodoo woman cook.

"Gotta do everything around here." Mama Odie whined as the two frogs made their way over to the tub and hopped up onto the edge of it.

"Mama Odie, if you-" Tiana started again.

"Taste it!" Mama Odie demanded, suddenly shoving a finger in Tiana's mouth, cutting her off. "Well?" The female frog tasted the gumbo that had been shoved in her mouth for a moment before she spoke.

"Hit it hard with a couple of shots of Tabasco and it's the bee's knees." The female frog declared.

"Juju!" Mama Odie called out and the snake suddenly appeared with a bottle of the sauce Tiana spoke of, placing two drops in the tub before he vanished again. For a moment, Mama Odie looked lost before she tried her gumbo. Suddenly, the woman began to jump around excitedly, crying, "Yee-he-hee! That's got some _zang_ to it!" As the old woman laughed happily, and Tiana slapped her forehead, now visibly frustrated, Sari curiously took a small sip of the gumbo herself. Mama Odie was right, it was truly _amazing_ and she wished she could bring some home with her. Perhaps Mama Odie would let her take some back? "That's just what it needed! Now! Ya'll figure out what you need?" At the voodoo woman's voice, Sari turned back to see her finally focusing on the two humans-turned-frogs.

"It's just like you said, Mama Odie. We need to be human." Tiana explained, gesturing to herself and Naveen. "Wait!" Something had occurred to Tiana. She turned to Sari and asked, "How did you turn back to human?"

"My magic can help me change forms when necessary, but it's easier to fight the Heartless, those monsters in the swamp, if I'm human. Unfortunately, I can't help you get what you need, not with my magic." Sari admitted.

"Ha!" Mama Odie laughed, startling Tiana and almost causing her to fall into the bathtub full of gumbo. Thankfully, Naveen caught her before she fell in. "Ya'll ain't got the sense you was born with! Ya'll want to be human, but ya'll blind to what you _need_."

"What we want, what we need, it's all the same thing, yes?" Naveen smiled, only for Mama Odie to hit him on the top of his head with the wooden spoon handle, causing Sari to snort. "Ow!"

"It's the same thing? No!" Mama Odie laughed, wagging her finger like a chiding grandmother. "You listen to your mama now!" The old woman stepped back, grabbed Juju and began to sing.

_"_ _Don't matter what you look like_

_Don't matter what you wear_

_How many rings you got on your finger_

_We don't care"_

_"_ _(No we don't care)"_ A choir of roseate spoonbills suddenly sang, flying in from the wrecked roof, causing Sari to gasp in the beginnings of awe, a smile growing on her face.

_"_ _Don't matter where you come from_

_Don't even matter what you are_

_A dog, a pig, a cow, a goat_

_Had em' all in here"_ Mama Odie sang, summoning her wand from midair and using it to turn Juju into the many animals she spoke of before turning the poor snake back to normal. Sari felt a bit sad for the exhausted looking snake.

_"_ _(We had em' all in here)"_ The choir of roseate spoonbills sang as they began to fly and circle Mama Odie.

_"_ _And they all knew what they wanted_

_What they wanted me to do_

_I told them what they needed_

_Just like I be telling you_

_You gotta dig a little deeper_

_Find out who you are_

_You gotta dig a little deeper_

_It really ain't that far_

_When you found out who you are_

_You find out what you need_

_Blue skies and sunshine_

_Guaranteed_

_You gotta dig"_ As Mama Odie sang, she dug through an open chest, throwing a tambourine at both Ray and Louis before also throwing an oyster that Juju caught. Sari smiled in condolence to the poor snake as it handed off the oyster to open it before the two frogs, revealing the pearl within. Suddenly, Louis grabbed Sari's free hand and began to spin her, causing the redheaded Keyblade wielder to laugh as she joined the alligator in dancing.

_"_ _(Dig)"_

_"_ _You gotta dig"_

_"_ _(Dig)"_ As the choir of roseate spoonbills finished their part, Mama Odie approached Naveen, who was dancing on the floor now, using Juju as a step stool to lean over him using a too tall podium.

_"_ _Prince Froggy is a rich little boy_

_You wanna be rich again?_

_That ain't gonna make you happy now_

_Did it make you happy then? No!"_ Suddenly, the old woman began to bury Naveen in gold coins, with only Juju's hold on her dress keeping her from falling on him.

_"_ _Money ain't got no soul_

_Money ain't got no heart_

_All you need is some self-control_

_Make yourself a brand new start"_ Suddenly, Mama Odie dug Naveen out of the pile of gold and had Juju launch the two of them across the boat, the snake catching them as they landed, only for Mama Odie to set Naveen down on a piece of blue luggage and pointing out Tiana dancing with Ray, causing the male frog to drop the single coin he still held.

Sari smiled before Louis suddenly helped her backflip into the air, with one of the roseate spoonbills catching her in midair to slow her descent before she landed on her feet and she spun back towards her alligator partner.

_"_ _You gotta dig a little deeper_

_Don't have far to go_

_You gotta dig a little deeper_

_Tell the people Mama told you so_

_Can't tell you what you'll find_

_Maybe love will grant you peace of mind_

_Dig a little deeper and you'll know"_ With one last grin towards Naveen, Mama Odie approached Tiana.

_"_ _Miss Froggy?"_

_"_ _Ma'am."_ The female frog turned to the voodoo woman in acknowledgement.

_"_ _Might I have a word?"_ Mama Odie requested.

_"_ _Yes, ma'am."_ Tiana agreed, allowing Mama Odie to pick her up and carry her towards the bathtub full of gumbo.

_"_ _You's a hard one, that's what I heard_

_Your daddy was a lovin' man_

_Family through and through_

_You your daddy's daughter_

_What he had in him you got in you_

_You gotta dig a little deeper_

_For you it's gonna be tough_

_You gotta dig a little deeper_

_You ain't dug far enough"_ As Mama Odie sang, she carried Tiana to what looked like it used to be a crow's nest, which Juju spun a wheel in order to raise up to the top of the tree. With a grin, Sari turned to Louis, who happily lifted her up so she could follow, finding herself in the top part of the tree, with all sorts of bottles serving as light fixtures.

_"_ _Dig down deep inside yourself_

_You'll found out what you need_

_Blue skies and sunshine guaranteed_

_Open up the windows_

_Let in the light, children"_ The roseate spoonbills did exactly, pulling aside leaves to let the sun catch the bottles, making the area shine with all sorts of colors.

_"_ _(Blue skies and sunshine)_

_(Blue skies and sunshine)"_

_"_ _Blue skies and sunshine"_ Tiana belted out as she was placed on top of Mama Odie's hat. Naveen, at Sari's feet, looked entirely lovestruck and the Keyblade wielder couldn't help, but laugh. The two of them were so cute!

_"_ _Guaranteed"_ Mama Odie grinned proudly.

_"_ _(Ahhh...)"_ The roseate spoonbills finished.

Sari let out a laugh, applauding all the performers with Ray floating at her side doing the same. Unfortunately, all the smiles fell just seconds later...when Tiana apparently did _not_ understand the purpose for the song.

So, with a disappointed sigh, Mama Odie returned them all to her boat and went to her gumbo pot, explaining that in order to turn back into humans, Naveen needed a princess to kiss him. Apparently, a parade princess for the night, a girl named Lotte who also happened to be Tiana's friend, qualified for the job.

And apparently, Louis had the perfect idea on how to get all of them where they needed to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wolfie: And there we are! You wouldn't believe it, but originally this chapter included ALL of the New Orleans segments, which if we had included them, it would've probably been well over 10,000 words by the end. But yes, that means all of Sari's adventures are written out and ready to go, along with all sorts of new stuff that will be added.
> 
> Speaking of, I am proud to introduce our three Reapers, Ravi, Shandanee and Eric! We are so very glad to include them and thank their creators for giving them to us! We are still accepting OCs, if anyone else would like to submit a Reaper or a Ninja (we have 1 Ninja right now, you'll meet them next chapter…I think).
> 
> Oh yeah, for Roxas and Xion's Keyblades: Legacy and I decided a while ago that they would not use Oblivion, Oathkeeper and Kingdom Key because they aren't their Keyblades, you know? Like how Sora has the Kingdom Key, Riku has Brave Heart, Ven has Wayward Wind, etc. So we gave them Two Become One (a symbol of Roxas and Sora's bond, as well as a Roxas exclusive designed Keyblade, fitting him well) and Oathkeeper (as Xion kept her oath and is made up of Sora's memories of Kairi originally). And yes, both of them can duel wield with the others' Keyblade, as long as the other is not using it. Roxas is the main one who does this (being more used to duel wielding), but Xion will occasionally do so as well.
> 
> Let's see…I think that's it then? I hope you all enjoyed! 
> 
> Reapers: (3/?)  
> Ninjas: (1/4)


	9. I Won't Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wolfie: Hello again everyone! We've got a lot of news for you with this chapter! First, up, Legacy!
> 
> Legacy's A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the action from last chapter because we're cranking it up to 100 in this chapter. I'm extremely excited to see what you guys think about Sari's fights because we've had some of those sections done for about two months. The final two fighting segments were some of the earliest parts that we wrote, so I'm so happy that you guys will finally get to see it. I think Wolfie and I can agree that Sari has been a joy to write so thanks again to Antex for submission and for keeping up with this story. We appreciate you support!
> 
> I also wanted to point out something that some of you guys might have already noticed. The title of this story was changed to include the subtitle "Book 1: Scattered Light," so you know what that means, the greater story we've been planning for a few years now will be segmented into multiple books. We're not sure how many but we're planning for at least 4. That being said, we have good news! We're actually almost done with Book 1, so that's another thing I'm super excited for because of how it will end. Without spoiling too much, all I'll say is that you'll see what's going on with Sora.
> 
> Wolfie: And that's all the info you're getting on that! Also~! This chapter was actually done a while ago, despite its monstrous size, but we held back so we could set up a once a month updating schedule! So here's your chapter this month! I'm super excited cause stuff we planned back in the very first chapter is gonna start coming to light!

**Chapter 7: I Won't Fall**

* * *

**Location:** New Orleans - River Boat

After leaving Mama Odie's house, Sari and the others managed to catch a steamboat drifting along the bayou river. According to Louis, it would take them to New Orleans Square, where Naveen said he met the Shadow Man, so Sari was all in. Though the smaller animals would have no trouble hiding from human eyes, Louis was a different story. Luckily for him, a group of musicians on board were wearing animal costumes and assumed that he was too. They even asked him to join them during their set, which brought a joyful, star stricken gasp out from the musical gator.

Being on the boat and watching Louis fulfill his dream of "playing with the big boys" as he described, was a wonderful sight, but Sari could not shake worry from her mind. She worried for Rickson's safety, and hoped that he was indeed in town. Otherwise, she'd have to start from square one.

The boat ride had taken most of the day, but it was still faster than walking or swimming all the way back to New Orleans Square. As the steamboat neared the town in the evening, Tiana and Naveen had disappeared, which worried Sari after what had happened last night with the Heartless trying to take the frog prince. The salamander-in-disguise looked around and asked, "Um...Ray? Did you see where Tiana and Naveen went?"

"Aw, the Cap and Sher just went to dinner."

Sari was so confused. "Ray, I'm talking about the two frogs that were with us earlier. Not the captain of the boat."

Ray began chuckling as he waved, Sari's concern away and said, "Me too, Marguerite!"

"Marga-what?" Sari asked.

She was ignored, though, as Ray continued, "They went off to spend some time alooone."

Sari's eyes widened. "What?! Why?! What about the Heartless?!"

"No need to worry about them. If those shadow thingies come back, Cap will just holler. Like so…" Ray cupped his mouth with both hands and let out a loud yell, that left Sari to cover her ears.

"O-okay, I get it. It's just, I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to them."

"Me neither. Though I thought I almost had to throw down with Cap," he said chuckling.

"You and Naveen? How come?"

"Aw, just a misunderstandin'. See, I thought he was trying to make a move on my woman, so understandably I had to go toe-to-toe with 'im."

Sari started looking around, but she could not find another firefly nearby. "Has there been another firefly traveling with us?"

Again, Ray laughed as he shook his head. "Was you not paying attention to my song?" He pointed upwards to the brightest star in the sky and said, "That's my darling, Evangeline." The firefly said the name with a loving sigh.

Sari could have sworn she was being pranked. "Uh, Ray…?"

Before the Keyblade wielder could say anything else, Ray asked, "Do you got anyone in your life like Evangaline?" Sari paused, a blush burning brightly on her smooth face. "Aw, you do, don't 'cha?!" Ray said excitedly. "Why don't you tell me 'bout 'im?"

Sari smiled and said, "He's the reason why I need to find this Shadow Man you all seem to be looking for."

"You think he's got yo man?"

"I hope he doesn't...but yes, I think he does.."

"Well then, I'm gonna help you get 'im back!"

Ray's energy was as brilliant as the light he let off in the evening's darkness, making it difficult for Sari not to smile. "You know, Evangeline is lucky to have a guy like you, Ray." Now Ray was the one blushing brightly, his tail light glowing pink to show it.

Once Ray returned to his normal color, he asked Sari, "Say, how come you turned back to a critter like us?"

Sari sighed, "I know I could be a human here, but it's just...I'd feel embarrassed with the condition my outfit is in."

"You can't use your hocus pocus to get yourself a fancy set of clothes?"

"I'm afraid not. My magic doesn't work that way."

"Now that don't make no lick of sense!"

The salamander let out another sigh, "You're telling me."

* * *

**Location:** Midnight City - Rose Castle

Kairi wasn't really surprised that the walk back to the former Castle That Never Was was filled with all sorts of conversation. Shandanee, especially, was quite energetic, asking Roxas and Xion to tell her about the adventures they had been on, with Ravi occasionally butting in to attempt to stop her sister from bothering the bounty hunters so much. Eric also cut in once in a while to answer one of Xion's miscellaneous questions about the city in general, as well as about Lauriam, Elrena and their family.

Roxas, however, remained silent as he walked at Kairi's side and...it was nice, just being able to observe how these Reapers interacted with the bounty hunters, how each of them seemed to have a heart of their own, despite losing theirs however long ago. And if Kairi looked closely, she could see a hint of pride in Roxas' eyes as he observed the three Reapers himself. She wanted to ask him if he saw himself, Xion, and Axel as they developed their own hearts back when they were all part of Organization XIII. Their existence had been denied by DiZ, Ansem the Wise, after all, and yet now that same existence was being fostered for those who could not regain their hearts.

But...she couldn't bring herself to break the silence, and so she just brushed her arm against his and smiled. As Roxas' eyes met hers, it seemed as if he understood...and he returned her smile with sparkling icy blue eyes.

The next moment, however, they passed into the castle and Kairi's eyes widened as her focus shifted to something else.

Ravi, Shandanee, and Eric now had black skeletal wings adorning their backs and Kairi just knew she was gaping again.

Roxas easily followed her line of sight and chuckled.

"Cool, huh? It's part of being a Reaper and having a heart. We got a hold of Sora's friend, Neku, and he wrestled the answer out of Joshua. Apparently, it's common enough in their homeworld." The blonde explained.

"I see. They're amazing." Kairi smiled, and they really were. Despite being black and demonic looking, they were as beautiful as any pair of angel wings could be, if you asked Kairi.

"I'm glad you think so, Lady Kairi!" Shandanee smiled as she turned towards the redhead, startling her. "Ravi doesn't care much about hers, but I try to keep mine nice and pretty!"

"There's no point to it." Ravi scoffed.

"No, no, not having this argument again." Eric shook his head. "Look, we're here. Focus on the girls."

"Huh?" Kairi asked, turning to look around the three Reapers only to see a man with ash grey hair standing up from where he was bent down talking to two girls.

The oldest of the girls had light red hair, so light it almost had an orange tint to it, and teal eyes while the youngest of the girls had undeniably pale orange hair and bright green eyes that lit up as she laid her gaze on everyone standing before her.

"Shana!" The little girl, no older than ten if Kairi had to say, squealed as she pushed herself up and ran over to wrap her arms around the female Reaper's waist.

"Little Lady Zia! Are you having fun with Lady Strelitizia and Hibiki?" Shandanee laughed as she bent down and swung the girl up into the air before returning her to the ground, exaggeratedly rubbing her back as she did so. "Ooh! You're getting too heavy for this old lady, Little Lady Zia!"

"I'm having loads of fun! Aunt Strelitzia and Hibiki are always fun!" The little girl, Zia, grinned brightly as she held her hands behind her back. "And Shana isn't old!"

"That's right, Zia, we aren't old. Remember that." Eric smirked as he pet the top of her head before looking at the ash gray-haired man behind the girl. "Why you all alone, Hibiki?"

"We're getting pretty spread out. I was the only one free to guard the girls." Hibiki admitted almost sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke. Considering he was dressed casually, Kairi was pretty sure today was his day off. She also noticed that he did not have wings like the others.

"And we appreciate it, Hibiki." The older girl, Strelitzia, smiled gratefully at the man as she stood up. Her eyes were the first to land on Roxas, Xion and Kairi. "Oh! Roxas and Xion, Big Brother didn't tell me you were coming today. And with a guest, too."

"It was kind of a spontaneous thing. Sorry about dropping in." Xion apologized, bowing her head as she did so.

"There's no need. Right, Hibiki?" Strelitzia asked, turning to the man for guidance.

"Yeah, I think the king and queen will be happy to see you." Hibiki admitted as he stepped closer and held a hand out to Kairi. "I'm Hibiki, a Ninja under Queen Elrena. It's nice to meet you."

"You too. My name is Kairi, I'm-" Kairi began to smile.

"Daddy told me about you! You're a real princess!" Zia gasped, staring up at Kairi with sparkling eyes.

Kairi laughed, covering her mouth slightly with a gently closed fist. "Yeah, you can say that. Though I don't live in a castle like you. So I think you're more of a princess than I am." Kairi grinned as she bent down, her hands resting on her knees as she met the girl's eyes, briefly booping her on the nose as she said 'you're'. Zia giggled happily at that.

"That's right, she's our little princess, one of our two lights on this dark world." Hibiki grinned as he scooped Zia up onto his shoulders, causing the little girl to shriek joyfully. Chuckling at the man's antics, Strelitzia turned to Kairi and held out a hand.

"I'm Strelitzia, Lauriam's younger sister. It's nice to meet you, Kairi." She smiled.

"You too. I didn't know Lauriam had a younger sister." Kairi commented and mentally added and with such a large age difference.

Strelitzia couldn't have been older than eighteen, twenty if Kairi was willing to push it, while Lauriam was, undoubtedly, in his 30s. A ten year age difference wasn't totally unheard of, but it was not a usual one.

"Yep! Big Brother and I are really close." Strelitzia smiled.

"I'm glad." Xion smiled. "I'll never forget the day Lauriam introduced you to us, he looked so proud of you." The black haired bounty hunter's words caused the young woman to blush.

"Speaking of, where are His Royal Rosyness and Her Royal Sparkyness? We need their help." Roxas said then, his hands behind his head.

A male responded, "How fortunate, we require your assistance as well."

Turning, the Reapers and Hibiki instantly straightened to attention while Zia ran towards the two figures who entered the room, Strelitiza following right behind her.

"Why am I not surprised?" Roxas groaned as he turned towards Lauriam and Elrena. "Let me guess: you want to put us on Heartless management duty again?"

The king and queen of Midnight City were dressed for the part as Lauriam wore a white shirt, black vest, gray pants, and pink cape while Elrena donned a sky blue dress with a matching shawl.

"Gee, how'd you ever guess?" Elrena drawled sarcastically, sounding reminiscent of Larxene as she quirked an eyebrow.

"Well, we are interested in quid pro quo, so…" Xion trailed off, sharing a look with Kairi. At the redhead's hesitant nod of assent, the black haired bounty hunter turned to her former Organization comrades. "What do you need us to do?"

* * *

**Location:** New Orleans - New Orleans Square

As the river boat docked, Louis exited with the other musicians, merging with the parade as the floats passed through the main street. Tiana reunited with Sari and Ray on the wooden dock, asking if they had seen Naveen, which neither of them had. Sari was confused by Tiana's question but Ray, on the other hand, was excited.

"Look at you!" He said as he rubbed his hands together with anticipation. "Where the ring at?"

Both Sari and Tiana were confused. Ray made no mention of a ring to Sari while they were alone so she stayed quiet.

"What are you talking about?" Tiana asked.

Ray's eyes widened when he realized that Tiana did not know what he knew. "Well if Captain said nothing, I ain't gon' say nothing cause 'ol Ray sealed up tight as a drum. You ain't getting nothin' out of me. No!"

The girls shared a quizzical look before Tiana raised an eyebrow at their shiny friend. "Ray…"

"Okay, Cap not gon' marry Charlotte. He gon' marry you! Soon as he get himself kissed, and ya'll both turn human, he gon' find a job, get you that restaurant-" Ray quickly covered his own mouth, lowering his hands only to ask, "I said too much, didn't I?"

Tiana and Sari looked at each other with large smiles and the two amphibians hugged each other, squealing with glee. The frog turned back to Ray, taking hold of him in an embrace as she said, "You said just enough!" She then looked up at the brilliant star above them and quietly sighed, "Thank you, Evangeline."

The three then make their way through the crowd, evading the omnipresent human foot that appeared around every corner.

"He was trying to propose!" Tiana said in her exhilaration as she began to make sense of the time she was alone with Naveen. "That's what all that fumblin' was about! And here I thought all he wanted was to marry a rich girl."

Lagging behind, Ray shouted, "Woah! Woah! Cher! What are we lookin' for again?!"

Tiana responded, "You just keep your eyes out for the biggest, gaudiest float with a Mardi Gras princess about to kiss herself a…" The young woman cut herself off with a gasp as she absentmindedly finished her statement, "a frog."

Atop a wedding cake-shaped float stood Charlotte, her father, a reverend, and, a handsome man. Sari looked around to see what had Tiana in such a state of disbelief but failed to find it. "Tiana? What's wrong?" As soon as Sari asked the question, the answer came to her. She mentally slapped herself for not having realized it sooner. That man...was Naveen.

By the looks of it, Naveen and Charlotte were already getting married as the reverend had begun the ceremony.

Ray was also in disbelief, but he was trying to make sense of their situation. "Oh no, this can't be right, darlin'. And how you can still be a frog? Mama Odie, she..." He stopped when he realized Tiana was gone.

"Where did she go?" Sari asked.

"I don't know, but we got to find Cher. This just ain't right!"

* * *

**Location:** Land of Heroes - Island

The island's thicket gave Gia, Jack, and Riku the cover they needed while they tried to think of a way to destroy the colossal machine that chased them around the jungle. The trees and boulders did little to impede it in its pursuit of the Keyblade wielders, though. Its long spider-like arms knocked trees down and its iron claws could crush through rock with ease. The trio was never safe for longer than a few seconds so they had to stay on the move.

"Master!" Gia called. "I think I can take care of this thing if you and Jack keep it distracted long enough!"

Riku nodded. "Jack, you're with me. Let's keep its attention on us."

"Yes sir!"

Jack and Riku made a sharp left to lead the machine away, but for some reason, it continued following the summoner instead of taking the opportunity to eliminate two possible threats at once.

"Why would it go after her," Jack asked.

That's when it hit Riku. It must have been able to understand what they said through some voice capture function and deemed Gia the immediate threat. "It knows Gia is planning something. Come on, we need to get its attention back on us."

Riku sprinted forward in pursuit of the silver-haired apprentice and the machine with Jack lagging behind, moving as quick as his small legs could carry him. The silver-haired master focused his aim at a tree branch and flew through the air with his Flow Motion ability, swinging rapidly before moving to the next branch. This allowed him to close the gap between himself and his target within a matter of seconds. His Keyblade, Braveheart, glowed bright violet and as he swung it, a volley of dark wisps flew at the machine.

The projectiles connected with its hard metallic shell, but they didn't make a single scratch. Riku took note that one of his dark spheres landed near the head, at which point the machine retracted it to protect itself. "That must be a weak-point," Riku reasoned to himself. This was only supported by the fact that the robot seemed to have deemed Riku the new threat as it turned its head 180 degrees and thrusted its leg forward. Riku converted himself into a sphere of darkness several meters to the side before rematerializing into his normal form.

Just as the robot had tracked Riku's new position, another volley of projectiles flew towards it, this time a barrage of fireballs. It retracted its head preemptively, no doubt to protect its weak point. Riku was sure of it now. When the machine no longer felt threatened, its head poked out and rotated until it found Jack standing with his Keyblade, Tempered Desire, still glowing with a faint aura of fire. The dwarf's eyes widened as a boulder was chucked towards him, narrowly avoiding being crushed with a last-minute roll.

Riku shot another Dark Divide attack, redirecting the enemy's attention to himself. As a metal claw thrusted at Riku like a spear, he used his Dark Roll ability, leaving a small trail of black particle effects behind him. This time, however, the robot followed up with a second strike just as Riku rematerialized. In the nick of time, he threw up a Barrier around himself, partly translucent with darkness flowing inside of it.

"Master Riku!" Jack called.

"Don't worry about me! Keep attacking it!"

Jack nodded as he took his stance against the robot. His right leg was placed far back behind his left while his Keyblade was pointed downward behind him. The dwarf closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. The air around him began to glow with warm colors of red and orange in a fiery aura. "Leave it up to me, Mast-"

Just as Jack's eyes opened, a sort of lightning bolt with a face flew between the trees and slammed into the machine. Sparks of electricity danced all around it and suddenly, the red light on its head went dark as it toppled over towards Riku, its arm pushing the barrier with him inside away. Dust kicked up all around the large spherical droid. When it cleared, the thunderbolt from earlier resurfaced as a small furry creature and stood atop his vanquished foe, laughing to himself.

"Sparky, you did it!" Gia cheered as she rushed over to him. The small creature slid down one of the robot's arms and into Gia's as she tossed him into the air happily.

As Jack's blazing aura disappeared around him, he was left with nothing but questions. "W-what just happened?"

"Oh! This is one of my summons, Sparky. He comes in handy pretty often, especially around anything that uses or runs on electricity since he's basically a glutton for that stuff." Sparky laughed mischievously in response. "Thanks for the help, little guy. You're always a lifesaver." The creature responded in an indistinguishable language and disappeared in a flash of light. "I'm still not sure what that means. It either means, 'Think nothing of it' or 'I don't like doing this.' All things considered, I'm leaning towards the first one."

"Well your summon, definitely came useful there. Thank you both, Gia," Riku said with a smile of pride. Gia beamed up at him with a cheerful smile. He then looked between her and Jack and said, "Good work, to you as well, Jack. Both of you, be on guard, though. There could be more of those machines around."

"What are we going to do now, Master?" Jack asked.

"We need to find the person in control of that thing. They might know where Sari and Rickson are."

"What makes you so sure?" Gia followed up.

Riku shook his head as he answered, "I'm not sure about it. I'm just saying that they either sent this machine to keep us from getting to our allies or they're just trying to get rid of us since we are trespassing. At the very least, I want to clear up any confusion. Come on, you two."

* * *

**Location:** New Orleans - Cemetery

Sari and Ray had left the parade in search of Tiana, following the mucus that she left behind on the ground, and it led them to a cemetery. They found the frog by a mausoleum with her head hanging low as she sniffled, undoubtedly crying out of disappointment and heartbreak.

Ray floated closer to Tiana, approaching slowly as he said, "I know what we seen with our eyes, but if we just go back that way, we're gon' find out your fairytale come true."

Without turning, Tiana said, "Just because you wish for something doesn't make it true."

Sari winced at the claim.

Ray pressed on, trying to bring the frog's spirit back up. "It's like my Evangeline always say to me-"

Tiana quickly cut him off and said, "Evangeline is nothing but a star, Ray! A big ball of hot air a million miles from here! Open your eyes now, before you get hurt."

Sari was left in awe, her mouth hanging because of what Tiana had just told Ray. The salamander's head went back and forth, distressed by how quickly the situation had escalated. "Ray...T-Tiana…"

The frog leapt away from Sari and Ray, leaving them alone. Sari looked up at Ray. She didn't know what to say to him.

Tears welled up in the firefly's eyes as he watched Tiana leave. Without stopping to look at Sari, he focused his attention on his love. "She just speakin' out of broken heart. That's all that is." He wiped his tears from his face. "Come on, Evangeline." As he finally turned to the salamander, Ray looked at her with a determined look in his eye and said, "We gon' show Cher the truth!" Sari smiled at him and the two made their way back to the festival.

* * *

**Location:** Land of Departure - Maia's Room

Maia groaned to herself as she fell back against her bed. She was so boooooooored!

While it was true it wasn't unusual for large teams to leave on missions, leaving the Land of Departure quieter than it usually was, that didn't mean Maia wasn't sad that absolutely everyone left! Even Mahir! Her best partner-in-crime in the whole Land! No! The whole World!

And why did she have to stay behind while absolutely everyone left for a job? Where was the sense in that?! I mean, sure, outside of Ryo and Alexina, she was the newest...but five months didn't make a difference between her level and Marta's! She could've helped too!

With another agonized groan, Maia turned her body as slowly as a snail, not in the mood to move as a sign of protest. It wasn't like her master was here anyway...he took Mahir and flew off the first chance he got, not even offering to take her too. It's not that she didn't appreciate Master Aqua's training, it just was...boring. Especially since she had a solid grasp on magic theory already.

Maia preferred learning from Master Ventus, to move fast and escape from any danger before an enemy even realized they had been hurt. It was why Master Ventus was her master, after all.

But that didn't change the fact that he was a mean master right now!

Letting out another aggravated groan, Maia leaned against her bedroom window...only to look out and see Alexina down in the courtyard. She wasn't doing much, but still...Maia was curious and when Maia was curious…

Before the ruby haired girl knew what she was doing, she was standing in front of the seated Alexina , leaning down so her face was close to the other girl's.

She looked so peaceful, probably pretty deep in meditation...she was usually so uptight, that this was a surprise.

A mischievous smile grew on Maia's face…

And she screamed.

"LEXXIIIIIIIII!"

Directly into Alexina's face.

And just like Maia expected, Lexi's eyes snapped open as her body instinctively rolled away before she picked up the Xiphos that had been laid at her side and Maia suddenly found the weapon pointing at her neck.

"What...on Earth...possessed you to believe...such a thing was...a wise idea?" The warrior questioned, gritting her teeth and practically forcing the words out.

But Maia's face never changed. In fact…

"Pfffft...hahahaha! Hahaha!"

She started to laugh.

"Ur so kut! E lyh'd pameaja...hahahaha!" Maia sputtered, not thinking as she spoke. She felt Alexina lower her Xiphos, staring at her with cautious eyes.

"Maia...are you alright? Do you know who I am? Where you are?" The brunette questioned.

"Oac, oac." Maia shook her head, wiping the tears that had sprung to her eyes during her laughing fit as she straightened up. "I'm fine, you're Lexi and I'm on the Land of Departure!"

"That's...what was that language you spoke then?" Alexina asked. Maia was quiet for a moment as she studied her fellow apprentice.

But she couldn't find anything outside of honest curiosity, and a bit of concern, in Alexina's eyes. So she spoke.

"It's my home tongue, like how you speak Greek." Maia explained, tilting her head to the side and smiling slightly, trying to hide any sense of nervousness she felt.

"I see...I think it suits you." Alexina smiled the slightest bit herself and that alone caused Maia's smile to grow into a bright, closed eyed grin.

"Thanks! Hey! Hey! Since we're the only two here, you wanna go play something?" The ruby haired girl offered.

"'Play'?" Lexi repeated, looking confused.

"Yeah! That way, when you get your Keyblade, you can show us all how cool you are because you trained so much! Plus, we can play with Sil too!" Maia grinned, already feeling excitement coursing through her veins.

"Well...I suppose…" Alexina slowly agreed, still looking scared.

"Great! Let's go!" Maia cheered, grabbing the brunette's wrist and not giving her a chance to say no as she pulled her all the way to the dining hall where she knew for a fact Master Aqua had set up a section for Silva to finger paint for the day.

It was the perfect chance to play with Silva, tease Alexina, and train by using (safe) magic to manipulate the paint as it splattered on the walls!

If you asked Maia, it was totally a win-win situation!

And suddenly, being stuck home at the Land of Departure didn't seem so boring anymore…

Huh, how about that?

* * *

**Location:** Land of Heroes - Island

Some time had passed since Gia, Jack, and Riku faced against the large robot that ambushed them, but there was not another in sight while they walked through the jungle. In fact, there weren't even any guards to oppose them. Still, Riku kept his guard up to avoid being taken by surprise like that again. Gia was a little less vigilant, taking in the environment around them. She figured that if someone were to attack them, they would have by now. It was that carelessness that resulted in her becoming immobile and helpless as she had to watch Riku and Jack be surrounded by a glowing cyan aura.

"Well, well, if it isn't my little intruders. Seeing as how you three were able to take out the omnidroid, I figured you were way out of league for my guards. Still, you don't seem like all that much of a threat getting a good look at you up close."

Now that they were all restrained, the guards came out from behind the trees, ready to handcuff them.

* * *

**Location:** New Orleans - New Orleans Square

The reverend continued marrying Naveen and Charlotte, reaching the "speak now or forever hold your peace" portion by the time Sari and Ray reached the float. Sari had climbed onto the base undetected but that was as far as she could go without being seen by Charlotte or the other humans higher up. The rest was up to Ray to find out what was going on. As the firefly approached Naveen's ear, he asked, "Cap, what you doin', son?"

This startled Naveen, making him swat Ray away. Sari could see what was going on and found this odd. What she couldn't see was a long tongue sticking out of the keyhole of a small chest that sat right behind Naveen. The prince noticed this and maliciously stepped on it. The tongue slithered back through the keyhole, but not before Ray could catch a glimpse of it. The firefly hovered down to the keyhole and asked, "Is that you, Cap?"

"Ray! Get me out of this box!" It was Naveen!

Ray responded, "I can't hear you! I'm gon' get you out this box!" He then proceeded to adjust his antennae and flip himself upside down to properly fit through the keyhole. Who needed a Keyblade when you could make yourself the key, after all?

The reverend finally reached the end of the ceremony. All he needed to do was pronounce the imposter and Charlotte as man and wife, but before he could finish the statement, the chest opened and the real Naveen sprang out of it. The imposter was blindsided and lost his balance, tumbling down to the ground. It was then that Sari could clearly see Naveen, still in his frog form.

Charlotte called down to the imposter, "Oh goodness gracious! Are you alright?"

The man responded, "I just need a moment to compose myself." His voice was clearly not Naveen's, giving Sari's mind certainty that this man had used magic of some sort to impersonate the prince. The imposter quickly grabbed Naveen and made a break for a nearby chapel door. Sari and Ray followed, but only the latter could fit underneath the doorway. Sari would have to find another entrance or somewhere private to revert back to human form.

As Ray entered the chapel, he heard a man with a tophat yell, "Get your royal rump back on that wedding cake and finish this deal!"

Before the imposter could respond, Naveen expanded his throat to free himself long enough to yank a necklace off of the young man...or rather, old man. Ray quickly deduced that the necklace was voodoo, only making this stout fat man look like the tall, young, well-built prince.

The tall, lanky man shouted, "What's he doing?! Stop him!"

Naveen managed to kick the necklace over to Ray, who caught it, but was not strong enough to carry it by himself. That's when the doors flung open revealing Sari with her normal appearance.

"Get out!" the tall man snapped. "This area is restricted!"

Sari picked up both Ray and the necklace, taking note of Naveen in the fat man's grasp. She looked from the captor to the tall man. He wore a suit and tophat, but his shirt was undone and the tophat had a white skull and crossbones painted on it. Combined with the fanged necklace he wore, the man's entire ensemble gave Sari the suspicion that he was the Shadow Man she had been hearing so much about. Sari straightened her posture and said, "I'll leave once you give me my little friend back."

The tall man fixed his shirt and offered a sly grin as he said, "That can be arranged. I'll be needing that necklace in exchange. It's very important to me."

Both Naveen and Ray shouted, "No!"

Naveen explained, "That necklace has the power to make Lawrence-" He was cut off by wrinkled fingers. Sari put the rest of it together, considering the behaviors these men were displaying. She also deduced that the man holding Naveen was Lawrence. After all, he was wearing the exact same outfit she saw Naveen in earlier.

"Why do you two need this? What could you possibly gain from all of this?"

The Shadow Man, better known as Dr. Facilier, pulled on his open-collar shirt, sliding into a calm demeanor as he explained, "Lawrence and I are financial partners, if you will, and we need that there charm to finish our deal, but if you're going to be a hindrance to us…" With the snap of his fingers, several Darkball Heartless appeared around himself and Lawrence, the latter of which cried in fear and hid behind a pew.

Guiding Gladiolus appeared in Sari's hand as she took her battle stance, keeping Ray and the necklace close to her. Dr. Facilier's eyes widened with realization as he said, "So you're with him." A grin formed on the Shadow Man's face while he chuckled to himself.

Sari's brow furrowed with curiosity. "Him? Do you mean Rickson? Where is he?!"

Dr. Facilier held his hands up as if to slow her down. "Hold on, now. There's no point in telling a dead girl, now is there?" He spoke to the Heartless with a kind of familiarity as he said, "Alright boys, why don't you show our guest some southern hospitality?"

The Darkballs flew forward, their snapping jaws threatening to rip through Sari's flesh. In response, the girl used her Barrier and Counter Blast combination to blow back the incoming enemies. As the transparent shards flew out, they sliced into the floor and walls, almost piercing Lawrence's face, making the man squeal frightfully. Dr. Facilier on the other hand was saved by a Darkball that intercepted the attack for him.

Sari couldn't believe her eyes. She'd seen people call forth the Heartless, only to be consumed by the darkness and become one themselves, but Dr. Facilier was pulling the strings. "He doesn't just summon the Heartless...he c-can control them. Who are you?"

Dr. Facilier laughed and said, "Why, little missy, I am nothing but a humble fortune teller. And these…" The man slammed the tip of his cane against the ground, producing a radial array of shadows that stretched throughout the room and rose against the walls. As the shadows rose, Sari and Ray could see that they took monstrous shapes with sharp teeth and claws. Dr. Facilier concluded by saying, "...are my friends on the other side, and thanks to your friend, they're here to stay!" The Shadow Man threw his head back in hysterical laughter while the dark beings joined him.

"So you're using him…"

Ray could hear the pain in her voice. "Marguerite…"

"Ray, find Tiana and get this as far away as you can from here. I'll hold them off."

The firefly took hold of the necklace and flapped his tiny wings as fast as they could move, struggling to hold the item on his own. Despite this, he agreed to do as Sari said. The shadow covering the door, did not, though. Ray grimaced at the silhouette as he lit up and flew straight against the wall, eradicating the shadow creature.

As Ray flew down to slip underneath the door, Dr. Facilier yelled, "No! Stop him!"

"I won't let you!" Sari yelled as she channeled light energy into her Keyblade. She leapt back against the door and pointed her weapon upwards. "Sparkga!" A light crystal formed at the tip before splitting off into three, which whirled around her rapidly, each creating a ring of light that vaporized any of the shadows that dared to near her.

Dr. Facilier's dark violet eyes were cold with killer instinct. "Fine then!" He spat angrily. "Friends! Give me your power!" The remaining shadows in the room retreated to their master, spiraling around him in a violent twister of pitch black. The entire room began to brighten up with strong neon colors and as the twister came to a halt, Dr. Facilier's face was revealed to have changed above his lips, now covered by a skull-like mask.

Sari could tell that the man was different from a moment ago. While it's true that his heart was full of darkness before, it now felt as if it were a dark void, sucking in all of the light around him.

"Are you ready?!" He bellowed as he set his foot down, sending forth a shadow towards Sari.

Sari prepared a Barrier but the shadow slipped underneath it and uppercutted her with its thin claws. The girl fell to the ground with a groan, but she quickly picked herself back up in time to roll away from the next attack. Dr. Facilier kept sending his shadows towards Sari but she continued to evade and slash through them whenever they got too close.

At the first opportunity she was given, Sari charged forward and swung her Keyblade only for Dr. Facilier to block it with his cane. Though he was very slender, the man was able to hold back the toned girl, even when she pressed forward with all the might her lean muscles could muster. Acknowledging that she would not defeat him in a battle of brute strength, Sari planted the ball of her foot on the ground and pushed off, allowing her to swivel on her other foot and deliver a quick slash to the madman's shoulder.

Dr. Facilier staggered from the hit, but regained his balance thanks to one of the shadows catching him and pushing him back towards Sari. The man glared at her with glowing violet eyes as he growled with frustration. "Little girl, you have no idea of the power I have now."

The Shadow Man twirled his cane and caught it upright, pointing at the girl. The orb began to glow and suddenly, Sari found herself rolling on the ground to avoid a violet fireball. A shadowy limb sprang up, trying to slash through her but Sari moved her head to evade. She then retaliated with a slash of her own before pointing her Keyblade at Dr. Facilier. As the man fired another wisp, she shot a bright sphere of light. The two attacks collided in an explosion, golden rays cracking through the dark shroud around it.

This created an opening for one of Dr. Facilier's shadows to strike Sari and pin her to a wall. The man laughed now that he had the girl right where he wanted her. Sari kicked and struggled in its hold, but she could not free herself.

Dr. Facilier laughed as he prepared a fireball to end the girl. As the projectile flew towards Sari, the girl quickly created a Barrier and used her goto maneuver, blasting back several shards. This time, one struck Dr. Facilier's cheek, forcing the man to break concentration long enough for Sari to slice through the shadow with a reverse grip. As she descended to the ground, the redhead charged up a Pearl spell and hurled it forward with all her might. As the sphere connected with Dr. Facilier, it expanded, consuming him in a radiant light that burned the shadows away from his being. The chapel lit up like a tiny star was born inside of it, but the light eventually faded leaving Dr. Facilier to drop to his knees, barely able to support himself with his cane.

Sari walked over to him and asked, "Where do you have him? Please. I need to know."

Tired violet eyes drifted up to meet Sari's. "You ain't ever finding out." Dr. Facilier reached into his coat pocket and threw something to the floor. Whatever it was, it exploded into a violet shroud, making Sari cough as she tried to fan away the smoke from her eyes. When it cleared, the voodoo man was gone and so was her last chance of finding Rickson.

All Sari could do was stare at the spot where Dr. Facilier used to be unable to process her feelings. She felt everything. Sadness, anger, frustration, and guilt just to name a few. As she fell to her knees, Sari bowed her head in defeat and let out a weak sigh. Her eyes closed for a moment while she tried to collect herself and keep her emotions in check, reminding herself that darkness waits for moments like this to enter one's heart.

Sari lifted her head, rose to her feet, and took a deep breath. It wasn't over. After all, she knew that Rickson was at least on this world. That explains why so many powerful Heartless had been appearing. This gave her the hope she needed to press forward. After all, Dr. Facilier was still on the loose and she needed to find him.

As Sari began walking towards the exit, she heard a pew move. She turned around with Keyblade in hand for another fight, but it was just Lawrence.

"Oh dear, where did he go?" the man asked himself.

"Lose something?"

Lawrence squealed and got down to the floor, hoping to avoid her. After all, someone who could best Dr. Facilier with all of his sorcery was bad news for him.

Sari walked down the aisle and stopped when she reached his row. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you."

Lawrence's eyes opened when he heard her gentle voice. "Y-you're not?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm not trying to hurt anyone. I'm just looking for my friend. You work with the Shadow Man. I think he has a friend of mine. Do you know where he might be?"

The old man stood up and shook his head. "Afraid not. I don't exactly work with Dr. Facilier. Well, I do, b-but…" Lawrence sighed, "It's complicated."

"It's not really. You wanted Prince Naveen's life and Dr. Facilier could give that to you. That's why you needed that talisman. Am I right?" Lawrence answered with a nod. "And he turned Naveen into a frog to get him out of the way so you could marry Charlotte Labouff. But why? What did he gain out of this?"

"I-I promised the doctor that I would g-give him part of the Labouff fortune when Big Daddy passed away."

"Greed. That figures," she said with a sigh. "So there really isn't anywhere that Dr. Facilier might be keeping my friend?"

Lawrence rubbed his chin and thought to himself, "Well…"

Sari's eyes widened with hope. "If there is, you have to tell me! Please!" When the redhead realized she was invading Lawrence's personal space, she took a step back, but continued looking at him with a pleading look that was difficult for him to ignore.

"I could only think of one."

* * *

**Location:** Land of Heroes - Island

The trio of Keyblade Wielders found themselves trapped, their arms and legs restrained by these metal spheres connected by electrical chains to an oval-shaped machine. They were unable to summon their weapons with their hands restrained, and worst of all, electric shocks were delivered to them every time the masked man before them disliked one of their answers.

"You people just won't talk, will you?" he asked. This was the very man that captured them with the strange cyan-colored energy beams from before. He wore some sort of spandex suit with a blue cape and a set of white boots and gloves, but the most peculiar thing about him was his gravity-defying orange hair that would put even Sora's to shame.

Riku tried to catch his breath, having just felt the sting of a powerful shock course through his body. "I told you. We aren't these 'supers' that you keep talking about."

"Oh, I know. You three can't do anything without those strange, and very impractical-looking, weapons you had earlier, which miraculously disappeared. Look, I don't care who you're working for, but what I do care about is getting my hands on those weapons so you better start talking or you're all going to fry."

The man's crystal blue eyes were filled with a rage Riku had not seen in a long time. He had been wronged by someone and now carried that pain, allowing it to consume him. It wouldn't be long before his heart gave in to the darkness. The captor seemed to grow impatient by Riku's silence, so he directed his attention to one of the guards operating the computer and gave the order to turn up the voltage.

"Wait!"

The orange-haired man stopped his guard and looked over to Riku with distruful anticipation. "Go on…"

"I'll show you our weapons."

"You'll show me where you left them?"

"We didn't leave them anywhere. That's why you men haven't been able to come up with anything. Only we can summon them."

"Summon? You mean they warp into your hands?"

"Yes."

The man was getting visibly frustrated as he said, "Wait! You mean to tell me you guys figured out teleportation technology?! No! No! NO! NO! Unbelievable! And you say that only you three can warp them?"

Riku was put off by how excited the man was now. He was cautious as he repeated himself, "Yes…"

"Then that means…" Blue eyes went wide with realization. "They're bonded to your DNA!" Then came hysterical laughter, but he was the only one doing so. Gia, Jack, and Riku all remained quiet and the guards seemed to just ignore it. It was just a part of the job they had seemingly become accustomed to. When the man's laughter finally came to an end, he was much calmer as he spoke to his employees. "We'll dissect them in the morning to find out how they make those incredible weapons appear. Don't let them out of your sight."

"You can't leave us here!"

All eyes turned to the lone woman in the room. "I-I can't stay here. I can't die here. I-I won't!" Suddenly a bright light sparked in Gia's chest. It grew brighter and brighter, and soon, that same light shined from her eyes and mouth. She stopped struggling to free herself and calmly stated, "You will free me." Several spheres of white light formed around her, one of which grew larger than the others, shining brighter and brighter. The radiant glow grew to the point of practically blinding anyone who looked into it. The others in the room closed their eyes and looked the other way, but somehow the light still reached them.

Riku tried to call to her, "Gia! You have to control your emotions!" A dark aura began to shroud him, sprouting from his heart and spreading all around his body.

No one could see what happened next, but there were flashes of heat and the sound of machinery exploding.

"What's going on?!" the redhead yelled as holes in his vision shrunk and grew.

The first person to regain his vision was Riku, but he could not believe what he saw. A beast-like creature with flames for fur and large horns sprouting from its temple stood over Gia's body, but it didn't seem like it wanted to hurt her. It was protecting her. In fact, the machine that restrained Gia was completely destroyed.

"Free us!" Riku called. "We're her allies! We want to keep her safe too! If you don't those men will kill her."

The monstrous creature looked back and forth between Riku and the other men, unsure of whether to trust him. Its gaze fell to Gia with an endearing look on its face.

"I know her sister," Riku said. "Lia...she's my apprentice. I care about them both."

That seemed to reach the beast as it nodded and went to destroy both Riku and Jack's prisons. When the redhead finally regained his vision, he was met with not only Braveheart, but also the growling face of an atrocious-looking monster. He squealed with fear, dropping on his backside as the fiery creature stood over him.

"S-so, uh...I was just about to let you all go now, mhm!" He wore a forced smile as he practically pleaded for his life.

"Not yet," Riku responded. "We didn't come to this island looking for trouble. We're just looking for some friends. Do you know where they are? One is a girl with red hair and two different colored eyes, the other is a boy with violet hair and golden eyes."

"I promise you that if I knew where they were, I would tell you, buuuut, I don't. So, I would really appreciate it if you guys just left my island."

Riku nodded. "Fair enough. But if I find out that my apprentices were here. I'm coming back for you." He turned to lift Gia and walked towards the exit. "Come on Jack, we're done here."

"Yes sir," the dwarf said as he followed behind obediently.

The monster watched as Riku carried Gia away, then looked at the small man below him and gave one final growl, which elicited another squeal, before leaving as well.

* * *

**Location:** New Orleans - New Orleans Square

Sari ran through the city streets, slashing away at any Heartless that stood in her way. The darkness only grew stronger with each step, spawning more creatures of darkness to defend the source they came from. Sari knew she was on the right track since there were more and more enemies appearing in her way. She just needed to push through the hordes of Heartless that tried to impede her.

The redhead rounded a corner and stepped into a small courtyard, teeming with the foul stench of darkness. On the far side, was a door with a sign above it that read, "Dr. Facilier's Voodoo Emporium," but a pool of black liquid bubbled in the center between her and the door. It bubbled and festered until a whirling tower of Shadow Heartless sprung from it. As the Demon Tower rotated, it moved around the area, struggling to balance itself until it locked onto Sari and sped forward towards her.

Sari quickly rolled out of harm's way, only to be engulfed by a sea of black and yellow. The demon tide had parted as it crashed into a wall, allowing the small monsters to scurry about the area, clawing at Sari every opportunity they got which was plenty considering that the girl was defenseless on the ground.

It was difficult to concentrate with so many tiny claws digging into her skin, but Sari managed to focus long enough to cast a Sparkra spell. Two shining crystals spun around her, vaporizing any Shadows that they made contact with. Unable to get close to her, the tiny monsters reformed into the Demon Tower.

Sari had taken quite a few scratches. None were very deep, but they were all over her body, stinging harshly because of her sweat. Her breath was growing heavier with each exhale, an indication of her fatigue. She struggled to stand up straight through the pain and exhaustion but she needed to continue pressing forward. After all, the darkness would not give her the opportunity to catch her breath.

The Demon Tower curled over towards Sari to engulf her into the vortex but she quickly threw up a Barrier around her to deflect the attack. The Shadows slammed into the transparent shield and bounced off, falling out of coordination again to swarm around her. Sari's Counter Blast struck most of the enemies that scurried near her, but there was still a large nest of them all around her so she erected a new Barrier immediately.

Though she continued to strike down many Heartless, it seemed as though the Demon Tower never ran out of drones. This is getting me nowhere. I need to destroy it from the inside… An idea appeared in Sari's head, but it was one she felt nervous about. She did not have anything else up her sleeve though, so as the Demon Tower leaned forward to engulf her, the girl allowed it to. She received plenty more wounds as the monsters clawed at her smooth skin. She had to keep her eyes shut to protect them from getting clawed out, but they still scratched her eye lids, harming her, nonetheless. Sari raised her Keyblade over her head and yelled, "Pearl!" A sphere of light formed on the tip of her blade and exploded, burning the dark creatures. The Demon Tower exploded apart, leaving a few stragglers spread throughout the area. Sari fell to the floor, landing awkwardly on her arm which made her cry out in pain. "Ahhh!"

Sari tilted her head off to the side to look at her Keyblade laid on the ground. She tried to call it back to her hand but her arm would not reach out to it. In fact, it burned with pain when she tried to move it. The girl let out a frustrated sigh at the realization that she'd sprained her dominant arm. As her head rolled to the other side, she saw the Shadows approach her with caution. They would soon realize that she could not get up and move in for the kill so she had to act quickly. With her free arm, Sari reached into her item pouch and pulled out a bottle of a vibrant blue liquid. She quickly bit down on the cap and twisted it, spilling some of the Potion on herself, but she spat the cap out and drank from the bottle as fast as she could. The Shadows leapt into the air but were quickly cut down as Guiding Gladiolus flashed into Sari's nondominant hand and she swung it in a wide arc. The girl was now crouched low with her left arm still limp and sore. Though it was not fully injured anymore, it still felt weak and tender.

Sari looked off to the right, finding one lone Shadow rocking back and forth, unsure of whether to strike. The girl slowly stood up with shaky legs, leaning on her Keyblade to keep herself from toppling over. Once she'd gotten up onto her legs, she slowly walked over to the Heartless and closed her eyes as she pressed the weapon into it with her body weight behind the thrust. Now there weren't any Heartless. It was just her in that courtyard and the unknown through the door to Dr. Facilier's shop.

With a heavy sigh, Sari forced herself forward pushing through the pain that laced up her body despite having healed her wounds with her Potion. Sari needed to keep pushing if she was going to put an end to Dr. Facilier's reign on the city of New Orleans, and she was so close. She dragged her feet, pouring as much strength as she could into her legs to make them move as she approached the entrance to the magic shop.

The inside was pitch black, so Sari lit the way with her Keyblade, revealing that the shop was littered with dusty books and antiques that Dr. Facilier most likely kept around to provide his business with an ambiance of mystery. She proceeded with caution, wary of any yellow eyes that might peer through the dark corners of the room, but as she neared the back of the shop, the room seemed to light itself on its own. At that moment, a tear almost broke from Sari's eye when she caught sight of an unconscious Rickson, sitting tied to a chair in the middle of the room.

She called out to him, "Rickson!" and ran forward only to be sucker punched by one of the small totems that hung on the back wall. Its eyes glowed purple and a green aura surrounded it as it levitated back to its original spot. The largest totem grinned down maliciously at Sari. With a spark in its eyes, the curtains closed behind her on their own, preventing escape even when Sari attempted to cut through them with her Keyblade. There seemed to be some sort of protective magic around the room.

Sari could hear laughter behind her, so she turned to find that the totems were all floating off of the wall, except for the one in the middle, the large horned one. "You're the source of his power, aren't you?" Sari asked. "And you're using my boyfriend like some battery pack!"

She did not get a response. Instead, the smaller totems flew at her. Sari swiftly moved around the room to avoid their direct attacks. Though their movements were not complex by any stretch of the imagination, they made up for this weakness with their numbers, which kept Sari on her toes. The ones that she couldn't dodge she batted away with Guiding Gladiolus, putting as much strength as her slender arm could muster behind each swing. She missed a few swings because she was not used to using her right arm, which left her open to a few hits.

The large totem laughed as his underlings continued to apply pressure, keeping the redhead from reaching her ally. By this point, the smaller totems had circled Sari and all moved in at the same time since she could not dodge. What they did not count on was Sari having a complete defense. Just as she was about to be stricken from every side, the girl used her Barrier and Counter Blast. The small totems flew back, spinning uncontrollably as some crashed against the strange magical wall that enclosed them all. This created the opportunity for Sari to make a break for Rickson, but swirling green winds whisked him away into the large totem's mouth.

"NO!" Sari reached out for him but the totem's sharp fangs closed down, inches from cleaving her fingers off. Her outstretched hand curled into a fist. She was so close to Rickson, but even then, he slipped through her fingers.

Sari jumped back and took her fighting stance, taking note of the smaller totems returning to surround her. The redhead was getting frustrated and even desperate, but she remembered the lessons Aqua taught her. She controlled her breathing as she told herself, "Rage blinds. It will make me careless and carelessness is a weakness."

Though the small totems could have begun attacking again, they waited, so Sari did too. She intended on watching them carefully and waited for an opening to attack. Her eyes narrowed uneasily as the horned totem opened its mouth, releasing six slithering shadows, each of which made its way to the other totems. The evil wooden creatures seemed to be transforming, sprouting arms and legs that were dark and liquidy like ink. Their new bodies resembled those of Neo Shadow Heartless with a dark violet tint that matched the eerie light in their eyes.

Sari stood patiently as the Heartless danced around her. Their shuffling movements were intended to confuse her before attempting to go in for the kill. Despite her muscles screaming in pain from the fight she endured to get to this point and her lungs were thirsty for oxygen, Sari managed to stabilize her breathing, inhaling and exhaling through her nose. She channeled the little bit of magical power left inside her, concentrating on her goal of rescuing Rickson from that demon before her.

A faint pink aura surfaced around Sari, cloaking her in a thin layer of light. Though the large totem found this strange, it did not fear her, so the two Totem Shadows behind her lunged. As they swung their claws, Sari quickly whipped around, guiding her Keyblade with telepathy to slice through them like a buzz saw. Another enemy went in to strike, but Sari parried the blow by spinning her weapon in front of her, emitting a small blast of light that made it cry out in agony.

Sari turned to find only three left and all three were hesitant to strike. The large totem seemed impatient and annoyed by their reluctance so it commanded them to attack with a menacing growl. As the Totem Shadows rushed her, Sari began spinning, kicking up a small whirlwind of light around her that struck the enemies like whips and tore them to shreds.

As the girl came to a stop, the pink glow faded from her skin, but she had vanquished all of the Heartless, leaving her alone with the horned totem, which continued grinning at her as he unleashed another wave of Heartless. Before the Neo Shadows could surround her, Sari charged forward and leapt into the air, thrusting her Keyblade forward. The tip connected with the totem's forehead, creating cracks that spread throughout its face. Sari had a sliver of magical power left in her, but she somehow dug into pools of strength that she did not even know existed to expel the most powerful Spark spell that she could. The totem roared in pain, its eyes glowing with the white light from Sari's weapon, until a powerful shockwave blasted her away.

Sari raised her head as she lay on the floor to find the totem releasing Rickson from the green vortex in its mouth, all the while struggling with the painful light that coursed through it. It glared at Sari angrily before exploding into many pieces, releasing a swarm of shadows to whirl around the room. Sari leapt to cover Rickson's body with her own, but the shadows never attacked. Instead, they all just disappeared off somewhere else, leaving the girl confused.

Minutes passed, but the shadows did not come back to finish them off. Sari worried that the demons or Heartless would strike at any moment, so she knew she needed to get Rickson away from Dr. Facilier's shop. She looped her arms under Rickson's and pulled his upper body, but could not move him much in her weakened state. As Sari yanked him, she lost her balance and switched with Rickson finding herself laying underneath him now. She let out a huff, the fatigue overwhelming her body and preventing her from moving so she just laid there still.

"Sari?"

Her eyes had closed but quickly snapped open when she heard a familiar voice, her head also flicking up. A pair of lost golden eyes looked back at her.

"R-Rickson? Rickson!" Sari's eyes watered with happiness as she embraced her boyfriend, holding him tightly as she yelled, "You're awake!"

As the girl let go of him, Rickson chuckled and said, "Yeah, for the most part. I'm feeling drained, though. What happened?"

They say upright, both feeling weak from their ordeals.

"I'm not surprised you feel that way. A madman was using you to feed these demonic pets of his. They unleashed all these Heartless throughout the world, but it looks like they're gone for now."

While Sari dug through her item pouch, Rickson looked her up and down, taking note of her condition and a pang of guilt struck him. Without even asking her, he knew that she had gotten scrapes on her skin and her outfit was tattered because of, what he could only imagine to be, mobs of Heartless that this madman must have unleashed with his help. Rickson's eyes fell to his knees in remorse.

"Hello? Earth to Rickson?"

He looked over at the Hi-Potion sitting in Sari's hand, just staring at it for a moment.

Sari pushed it forward slightly and asked, "Well?"

His eyes floated up to meet hers, which were filled with concern for him. He ignored her question and instead asked one of his own. "Is that the last one?"

The girl was taken aback by his response and was not sure why he asked that, but she answered it anyway. "Yeah. We used the rest in the Carribean with Jack, except a Potion that I had to drink myself after I sprained my arm."

Rickson took one more good look at her before finally deciding to reject her offer. "No, you drink it. You got hurt because of me, after all."

"Don't mind all that. Just drink it," she said sweetly.

"Sari, I really think you shou-"

"Rickson, are you telling me I fought through hordes of Heartless, a demented voodoo witchdoctor, a demon tower, and a group of demonic totems, holding onto this Hi-Potion for you to drink only for you to turn it down?"

"Ngh!" Rickson sighed in defeat. She was not going to back down, anyway. "No, I suppose not." He took hold of the Hi-Potion and removed the cork on top allowing a minty scent to fill his nose.

"Besides, who's supposed to carry me with their strong arms if you can't even stand up by yourself?"

Rickson cracked a smile and rolled his eyes as he drank down some of the mystical liquid. He looked over at the girl, who had been looking down as she flexed her left arm which still felt a bit tender. Seeing as she was distracted, an idea popped into Rickson's head. Without any warning, Rickson slipped his arm behind Sari's back and pulled her in for a kiss. If she did not want to drink the Hi-Potion, then they were going to share it.

Sari's eyes went wide from the suddenness of it all, but once she realized what was happening, she gave in and kissed him back, knowing full well what he was up to. When the two parted, Sari wiped a small drop of the minty liquid that was trailing on the edge of her mouth. "You're so stubborn," she said with an eye roll, while trying to hide her blush.

Rickson jabbed in response, "You're one to talk. So, where are we? And where's Jack?"

"I'm not exactly sure what this world is called but we can check that on the map. Which reminds me! We need to call Jack! Sweetie, can you call him on your Gummi Phone?"

As he searched for it in his back pocket, Rickson asked, "What happened to yours?"

"It fell into a swamp?"

"Are you making that up?"

"The truth is I don't know. I remember trying to call for help as we fell into this world's atmosphere but I couldn't find it when I woke up."

"So you lost it."

She sighed and said, "Yes. But the good news is that you still have yours!"

Almost as soon as Rickson hit send, the screen flashed to show Jack's face. His eyes were wide with excitement as he called out to Riku, without even saying hello to Sari and Rickson. "Master Riku! It's Rickson and Sari! They're okay!"

Riku appeared on the screen beside Jack, a look of relief on his face. He looked tired like he hadn't gotten much sleep. "You two are alright?"

"Yes, Master," Sari responded with a smile. "We're sorry to have worried you so much."

Riku just looked glad to see they were okay. "It's alright. Send us your coordinates so we can pick you up. We'll call when we get there."

"Yes, Master," they said in unison.

Riku smiled and said, "We'll be sure to report back to Master Aqua to let her know you're both alright. If you guys can, try to find some place to rest in the meantime. It really is good to see you two are okay."

"Likewise," Rickson responded. "Thank you for looking for us." At that moment, the young man's face went serious as he said, "Master…"

"What is it?"

"Please be careful, yourself. I know you're very strong, but the people that attacked us...they might have allies."

"Hey, you don't think it's weird that they didn't come after us?" Sari asked. "The entire time we've been on this world I never once ran into them."

"That stranger that saved me must've run them off," Jack commented.

"That must've been Cloud, Tifa's husband," the master explained. "The men you three encountered must be who Cloud is after and when it comes to fighters, he's no joke. Still, I don't blame Tifa for worrying about him, considering that we know very little about who we're facing. I also don't think it's a coincidence that these men attacked you while you were following a trail of missing materia."

"Do you think they're the ones behind this?" Rickson asked.

Sari concurred with Riku and said, "It makes sense. I mean, they did attack us unprovoked. I don't see why else they would've attacked unless they wanted us off the trail."

Riku finished his thought by saying, "They're most definitely involved, but we can't be sure if they're the ones behind this entire plot. We don't even know what they're goals are, but we're sure to find out if we keep following the rabbit trail. Still, we can't ignore that the others on the RLS Legacy may run into them."

"The what?" Rickson asked.

"We'll explain when we see you," Riku said. "We'll see you two soon." The call clicked leaving Sari and Rickson alone in the dark magic shop.

Rickson slowly got up to a crouching position in front of Sari, which confused her. "What?" she asked.

"Need a lift?"

That's when Sari remembered her joke from earlier. The sentiment made her smile from ear to ear as she nodded. "Yeah!" She stood up and slipped her legs under his arms, leaning against his back as he stood up and carried her out of the shop.

* * *

**Location:** New Orleans - The Swamp

When Sari and Rickson met up with Tiana, Naveen, and Louis, they heard the bad news that Ray had been crushed by Dr. Facilier, which brought Sari to tears. She felt that he didn't deserve to die, especially after getting to know such a kind soul so she asked if they were doing anything to pay their respects to him. Tiana told her that they agreed that he should be with his family so the five of them went to the swamp.

While there, Rickson noticed that Sari was not putting up a fuss over water getting into her boots or the skirt of her battle dress soaking in murky water. All things considered, he understood why, so he chose not to tease her about it. In fact, everyone was silent during the entire march through the wetlands. Rickson didn't even stop to question how an alligator was playing the trumpet as three fireflies laid the leaf Ray rested on in the water.

As the leaf was pushed off into the morning mist, Sari and Rickson bowed their heads. The redhead laid hers against the young man's neck as she pressed her clenched fist against her chest. "May your heart by your guiding key," she whispered.

Tiana gasped as something caught her eye in the sky and the others soon noticed a bright light shining down from above. Rickson nudged Sari and said, "Babe, look."

As Sari's eyes opened to look up into the sky, she saw Evangeline, but unlike before, the brightest star now had a companion. Another light twinkled alongside her, growing larger and brighter until the two were equal in their brilliance.

"Ray," Sari said with tears in her eyes. "His heart...it was so strong it was reborn as a new world."

Rickson smiled down at her, rubbed her shoulder, and planted a kiss atop her head. He could tell that she had been through a lot and that Ray was someone she genuinely cared for despite only knowing the firefly for about a day. It was because of this that Rickson too was happy to see that Ray would live on in the universe, breathing new life. That pleasant thought came, at a cost though, reminding Rickson of the very nature of his own heart. While Ray would bring life and fruition, he would only bring death and destruction. Rickson's jaw clenched, which Sari took note of.

The redhead looked up at him and asked, "What's wrong?"

Rickson feigned a smile. "Nothing, sweetie." He pulled her closer against him, gently rubbing her shoulder as he kissed her forehead. This brought some ease to Sari's worries as she rested her head against his neck again, but she knew that it wasn't "nothing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wolfie: So. MANY. WORDS! I was not joking when I said this chapter was monstrous, it beat our longest chapter (chapter 1, btw) by topping at 12,443 words without ANs. 
> 
> Also, Legacy and I have been losing our collective minds over Melody of Memory AND Dark Road, no joke. And, considering I was heart broken when Strelitzia died back in UX, can you tell how happy I am that we got to include her here? The idea is credited to Antex, thanks a bunch!
> 
> Now, Maia's Al Bhed translations are right here! She says, in order:
> 
> "Oh my god! I can't believe..."
> 
> "Yes, yes."
> 
> And, finally, I am going to announce that the SYOC of this story is officially closed! We'll open it up again come Book 2, in case we need more Reapers and Ninjas!


	10. Lia Report #98

**Chapter 8: Lia Report #98**

* * *

_Dear Gia,_

_It's been sometime since we last split up. I hope you're behaving for Master Riku. Remember: he is_ _not_ _Master Lea,_ _do not_ _disrespect him._

_Let's see...I've been on the Legacy this whole time. We have yet to reach Treasure Planet, even after sailing for several weeks. I think you'd be pretty bored if you were here, the Legacy is as fast as Uncle Cid's airships, fast, but not faster than a Gummi ship. Though, you might actually prefer it, considering how well you reacted to the warp gummi._

_Anyways, it's been a busy few weeks. I'm not fully sure where to begin…_

_Well, I guess I should start with me then. I've been working mostly with the first mate of the Legacy, Mr. Arrow. He looks scary, as in you would want to fight him on sight, but he's actually quite nice. But if the crew starts causing trouble, he stops it right away. He's like Master Aqua actually...it's comforting to work with him, to put it another way. We talk often of home and the worlds he knows of, it's been enjoyable for the most part._

_Then there's Tifa, she was assigned as a bodyguard to Dr. Doppler, who paid for the whole expedition we joined. Dr. Doppler seems extremely flighty from what she tells me, often getting lost in his own ideas even as he's speaking about them to somebody else. She's had to save him from falling down the stairs from the upper deck to the lower deck quite a few times now. I don't know how he has yet to break his neck, even if he does have such a ridiculous suit to protect him. You'd laugh if you saw it, Gia. It's utterly ridiculous. Not even Uncle Cid would wear something like that. He'd make fun of it for how inefficient it is, actually. But it seems she enjoys talking to him. She tells him stories about Denzel and Marlene often. They're her children._

_As for Ryo, he's adapting pretty well. He spends most of his day working with Jim, the only other human boy on this ship, while answering to Mr. Silver, a cyborg cook if you can believe it or not. I'm sure you've had your experiences with machines. It seems that they have all grown close. If Ryo isn't with us or Jim, he's usually with Morph, a little glob(?) I suppose that follows Mr. Silver around. It's quite adorable, actually. I think this is actually pretty good for Ryo. It seems like he fits well with Jim. I'm really glad, I know he still feels a bit like an outsider with all of us, so it's nice to see him getting along with someone his own age._

_Now, Marta...she's in the crow's nest most of the time, playing look-out. I say playing because if she isn't dozing off, she's surprising anyone and everyone by dropping down on them from above. Mr. Silver and Morph love her, but the other crew members, like the cockroach, Mr. Scroop, don't seem to enjoy her at all. I keep an eye on her, of course, keep her out of any trouble. Mr. Arrow helps too, doesn't let anyone hurt her. Surprisingly, he said that having a bit of harmless fun onboard never hurt anyone. I say surprisingly because of how stern he seems when you first meet him._

_So far, it's been a relaxing mission. But I have no idea how long something like this could last._

_I have a bad feeling about what's ahead._

_Especially considering the "episode" I just had. Gia, I hope you're okay. Please be okay. To be honest, that's what prompted me to write this. Of course, you won't be able to read this until we reunite. I just hope that won't be too long from now._

_Anyways, I hope you've had luck with finding Sari and Rickson by now, it's so hard to get a signal on the Gummiphone out here...we haven't seen anything of the attackers Jack mentioned, nor Cloud. I can tell Tifa's worried, we all are. But we'll do our best. I hope we'll meet up soon._

_Please, stay safe._

_Love,_

_Lia._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wolfie: Different, isn't it? Basically, this is DD's form of Secret Reports, letters the twins send each other! The numbers for the reports are based on how many letters each individual twin has sent to the other (so Lia has sent 98 now, while Gia has a completely different number). They'll pop up every once in a while to cover time skips, give some foreshadowing and other stuff. So keep an eye out for them!
> 
> In any case, the next chapter is gonna be amazing, trust me! Look forward to it!


	11. The Silent Mary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wolfie: Sorry for the long wait, everyone! School's been hectic for me and both Legacy and I also work, so writing time has been hard to find. But we're here (didn't miss our deadline) and...well, Legacy?
> 
> Legacy: Wolfie, all I'm going to say this time around is that the readers - yeah, they're not ready for what's about to go down. That's all I'm going to say.
> 
> Wolfie: ...fair. Now, before we start the chapter, a couple things. 1. If you've ever seen Treasure Planet, we basically combined the I'm Still Here sequence with another scene, which is why it turned out as it did. 2. Did you really think we'd leave things as simple as using ONE Disney property here? And finally, 3. Legacy and I decided to cast 'voice actors' for all the characters in this story! If you go to the encyclopedia, you'll notice they all have voice actors listed now! Even canon characters who do not have a voice will also have VAs, which you'll learn at the end of this story of who they are. That's everything, I think.
> 
> Now buckle up, folks. This is where we hit full throttle.

**Chapter 9: The Silent Mary**

* * *

**Location:** Land of Departure - Forecourt

The Master, Aqua, his employer had informed him about was out in the open. The child was standing in front of her, holding some flowers out to her and babbling, something he could not hear from the distance. The redheaded apprentice was grinning as she sparred against the brunette apprentice, the one who lacked a Keyblade, while the Master watched over them all.

It all felt too easy...but experience told him that taking the easier shots always paid off in the end.

With a silent breath, his finger curled over the trigger of his crossbow. His right eye narrowed, as he aimed...and...pulled.

The arrow sailed straight and true, heading right to the Master's heart. It would be a blow that would kill her instantly, she wouldn't even feel a moment of pain.

The arrow struck and-!

The Master suddenly dissolved into particles of light and the hunter smirked as he watched the Master, _for she must've used a mirage spell, clever,_ throw up a large barrier.

"Alexina! Maia! Get Silva back inside! Now!" The Master ordered. The redhead apprentice grabbed the child, who was now screaming, and pulled the brunette inside by her wrist. The Master turned to face him then, glaring at him through her barrier.

_That's not going to work._ The hunter smirked to himself as he pulled two new arrows out of his quiver and aimed. The arrows easily sailed through the air, striking the barrier. Cracks began to form in it...it would only take three more arrows, if he had to guess.

With a confident smirk, making sure the Master could see it, he removed the necessary three arrows, pulled back and released them without a second of hesitation.

The barrier shattered on impact, but the hunter's moment of triumph was short lived. The next thing he knew, the Master had faded into blue light before she was suddenly in front of him, her Keyblade, Stormfall, aimed for his head.

The hunter reacted instantly, raising his bow to deflect the blow and twisting his body as he fell from his perch, allowing him to safely land on his feet, no worse for wear.

"How clever of you...it seems I've underestimated you." The hunter mused as he straightened out and twisted the handle of his crossbow. The bow's arms collapse, making his weapon resemble a sheathed sword and that's exactly what it was. He drew the hidden blade from its scabbard and swung it at Aqua, only to collide with her Keyblade.

"Who are you?!" The master demanded. "Why are you here?!" She eyed him carefully, trying to see through his cylindrical helmet's tinted visor. It was dark, but she could see a pair of dark eyes looking back at her.

The hunter grinned. Aqua couldn't see it, but she could hear the eerie excitement in his voice as he said, "Isn't it obvious why I'm here?" Without waiting for a response, he pressed against her, taking full advantage of his larger body. The hunter was taller and well-built, allowing him to overpower her.

Aqua pushed off and casted Aeroga, launching herself high into the air. In midair, she twisted her body and pointed Stormfall directly at him, however the Keyblade quickly disappeared and was replaced with another - one called Brightcrest. Unlike the simple design of Stormfall, which consisted of a handle, a guard, a rod-like blade, and a hollow set of crown-shaped teeth, Brightcrest had a curved blade with wild wispy waves in its design. The hunter was both intrigued by the woman's ability to change weapons so quickly and confused by her reason for doing so. He would have to dwell on it later, though.

With cool sapphire eyes locked onto the hunter, Aqua chilled the air at Brightcrest's tip, creating a glowing blue sphere. "Blizzaga!"

Ice shot toward the hunter, intent on freezing him. If that was her game, then…

The hunter rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding one of the frozen spikes that jutted out from the ground as the icy shard exploded on impact. He seamlessly sheathed his sword and converted his weapon back into its crossbow form. An arrow slid onto the track, pushing the string back before flying off as soon as it reached the latch. It missed only by the barest inch, cutting the blue-haired master's arm and making her fall backward.

That wound seemed to throw off the master the slightest bit, giving the hunter the time he needed to launch himself forward, kicking up dirt, in an attempt to keep her from casting another spell. He drew the sword again, aiming for her head. Once again, Aqua seemed to have casted a mirage spell as his blade passed right through a fading copy of the woman. He found himself kneeling on the edge of a cliff.

The man laughed. "Your magic tricks sure seem to come in hand, don't they, Princess?" He stood still, knowing that behind him lay a Keyblade's tip. Though it was a dull weapon, he had no doubt that taking a blow from it would be unpleasant. "But, I've got a few tricks of my own."

Aqua's eyes widened as three small rods in the ground extended upward and released a triangular array of yellow walls around her. "What the-?!"

He stood up slowly and turned to face her. "Is that all the Grand Master of the Land of Departure has? An empty title if you ask me."

Aqua glared at him through the yellow filter. The hunter looked back at her, admiring his work, but that's when it came like a blur. He was quick enough to raise his sword in time to guard against the xiphos that swung for his head. A set of pale green eyes glared back at him behind the crossing blades. It was one of the apprentices from before, the taller one. There was a yellow aura outlining her form, but it soon faded.

"Alexina! I thought I told you to stay in the castle with Maia and Silva!"

"I couldn't just run, Master! Not to worry, because Maia is still with Silva."

The hunter responded, "So the other brat is playing babysitter, eh? Good. I like my encounters with women to be more...intimate, after all."

That comment didn't sit well with Aqua or Alexina, the latter of which was especially triggered. She yelled as she pushed against the hunter's sword, proving herself to be more physically powerful than her master.

"Oh? Looks like this one does her push ups." The man could feel the ball of his foot running out of space as Alexina forced him backwards. "Hmph."

"Let my master go," Alexina demanded.

"Seeing as you asked so nicely…" The hunter suddenly pushed off from Alexina, falling over the edge of the cliff.

The women gasped with shock as the assailant disappeared. Not long after, he reemerged, a pair of fiery jets blasting out from the soles of his boots. He practically stood on air with his crossbow aimed straight at Alexina.

"I've got to say, you almost had me for a second there, but fun and games are over."

He fired an arrow, but Alexina curled behind her shield, which was able to mostly cover her with its 3 foot diameter. The arrow bounced off the bronze metal as the young woman knocked away one of the three rods that generated her master's cage. The barriers fell allowing Aqua to reenter the battle, but when she and Alexina fixed their attention on the hunter, he was gone.

"Where did he go?" Alexina asked.

Aqua stepped forward, holding the wound on her arm. "Alexina, you came quickly. Maia casted a Haste spell on you, didn't she."

"She did."

"But how did you leave the barrier? I never dropped it."

"It wasn't easy, but I was able to make a hole."

"What?!" Aqua slammed her fist against a pauldron on her sleeve, donning a suit of blue armor. "Come with me and hold onto me." Aqua took hold of Alexina's wrist and dragged her over the edge of the cliff as the master replaced Brightcrest for Stormfall and transformed it into its glider form. The older woman released Alexina, who quickly took hold of her master's shoulders when she felt her feet leave the dirt and grass. The glider's blasters fired, pushing them down to the castle where they found the hunter running up the ivory steps that led to the front door.

Aqua's grip tightened on her glider's handles. She focused on her breathing to try and keep herself calm. The barrier around the castle fell allowing Aqua and Alexina to fly straight toward the front steps. The glider then dissolved and Aqua landed directly in front of the hunter. She pivoted and swung Stormfall in a wide arc. The stranger leapt backward over Alexina, who came at him from behind. He remained airborne, well out of their reach. Or, at least, that's what he thought.

Once again, Aqua's weapon changed, disappearing in a flash only for another to take its place in her grasp. This new Keyblade was the Master's Defender. It was similar to Stormfall in that it had a rod-like blade, but its distinct square motif caught the hunter's attention, particularly the handle.

"Those weapons of yours seem very impractical but that rectangular handle is just downright inconvenient."

Aqua ignored his jab. Without looking at Alexina, she told her apprentice, "Go with Maia and Silva and don't leave their side again."

Her voice was cool. There was no urgency or need in it. No anger or turmoil. It was flat, so Alexina did not argue. She knew better. Instead, she retreated through the front door, never turning her back to the hunter. Whether it was out of a tactical instinct or some sort of chivalry, the hovering man never once dared to strike the younger woman. Instead, he waited patiently until she disappeared into the castle.

"Hunter, as Grand Master of this sacred land, I cannot allow you to do as you please here."

She then fell to one knee and drove the Master's Defender into a glowing keyhole on the floor, creating a spell circle around herself. The diagram glowed with a bright white light as it spread outward, completely surrounding the castle. The hunter flew backward to avoid touching the light, playing it safe.

The golden chains that anchored the castle to the neighboring mountains broke from the shackles around those same rock formations. Then, like a nest of snakes, the chains began to move and slither through the air, all aimed at the hunter. He weaved around them with incredible speed, but cool sapphire eyes tracked his every movement, sending the chains wherever he was. Aqua applied too much pressure to give him even the slightest opportunity to fire an arrow at her. This continued until one of the chains landed a solid blow on his shoulder, causing him to spin uncontrollably for a few moments. He was able to stabilize himself shortly after and narrowly dodge more incoming fetters.

The hunter slipped behind one of the mountains and Aqua sent a chain after him, missing completely. She kept her eyes trained on either side of the mountain anticipating where he would come from. Suddenly, the man flew straight upward, but not to make a shot. He went up and never came back down, disappearing into the sky.

Aqua stayed where she knelt for a long time, waiting to see when he would return but he never did. Though she knew he could be anywhere, she returned the chains to their original locations and retreated into the castle where her daughter and the two apprentices waited.

"Mommy!" the child cried with snot on her nose. Silva wheezed and sniffled as she climbed out of Maia's arms and rushed to her grasp at her mother's robes.

Aqua gave her child a tender smile as she took hold of her. "Everything's alright, Silva. Mommy's here." The blue-haired woman rocked her daughter and gently rubbed the back of her head to comfort her. As Silva's crying settled, Aqua turned to Alexina and said, "Lock the door."

"Yes, Master."

"Master Aqua, what will we do now?" Maia asked.

With a heavy sigh, Aqua said, "We need to hide."

* * *

**Location:** Midnight City - Rose Castle

Midnight City was every bit damp and gloomy as it was when Organization XIII was living there. While there was now a bustling city living in the perpetually rainy world, most of these inhabitants were former Nobodies, much in the way that Roxas and Naminé were. In a way, this could truly be called the "Nobody Home World." Kairi could barely tell the difference between Nobodies and humans now. While there were Dusks and other weaker Nobodies finding their way to this world, many of the residents living in the city and Rose Castle were Nobodies that were under the Organization's control a decade before. Many of them had regrown their hearts like Lauriam's Reapers and lived out normal lives, or rather, mostly normal.

Kairi found herself going into the city almost every day since she'd arrived to fight off a new Heartless threat. Being so close to the Realm of Darkness left Midnight City vulnerable to invaders from the other side of the Dark Margin.

On this particular day, Kairi had gone straight down to the city with Roxas, Xion, and Eric, not even stopping by the castle's kitchen for something small to eat. They were in a hurry and Eric needed to fill them in on the way. Kairi found that Eric was not much for conversation when Shandanee and Ravi were not around, though.

The small group reached a light-based projected bridge from the entrance to Rose Castle down to the cliffside. While running down the bridge, Xion was the one to break the silence. "So Eric, you said you were going to tell us what we're dealing with on the way?"

Eric nodded, but it went unnoticed by Roxas and Kairi, the two at the back of the group. Without turning to face any of them, he said, "There's a Heartless stirring up trouble in the city."

Roxas replied, "When isn't there?"

There was a brief moment of silence in which Kairi, Roxas, and Xion expected Eric to respond, but it never came. Xion continued the conversation by asking, "So is that all you know about the threat?"

Eric shook his head. Again, it was difficult to tell, but he followed up by responding, "No. The Heartless is possessing is Heartless."

Kairi and Roxas shared an incredulous look with one another before the redhead asked for clarification, "Come again?"

"Possessing...it's possessing things," Eric responded. It sounded as though he was struggling to get the words out.

"So a Possessor Heartless, huh?" Roxas asked.

"Hibiki didn't tell me what type of Heartless. There are many different types that do the same thing."

"Whatever it is, we're going to wipe it off the face of this world!" Xion cheered. She'd begun running faster, keeping pace with Eric, who was only getting further and further away from Roxas and Kairi.

Seeing that the head of their group was moving faster, Roxas turned to Kairi and said, "You better keep up." He then proceeded to quicken his own pace.

* * *

**Location:** The Etherium - RLS Legacy

The flight through the Etherium was rather quiet for Lia, Marta, Ryo, and Tifa. During this voyage, they had seen many new worlds and even these whale-like creatures that swam through space like water. While Lia, Marta, and Tifa's positions required minimal effort, Ryo found himself doing a large bulk of the ship's maintenance alongside Jim under Mr. Silver's direction. Really, it felt like they were slaves, but Ryo was the least vocal of the two in regards to protesting against the work. Over time, Jim also learned to hold his tongue, resigning to the idea that there was no point in fighting Mr. Silver's orders anymore. Still, that didn't mean he wouldn't complain to Ryo every once in a while.

"You know, sometimes it feels like we run this ship all by ourselves," Jim lamented.

The two boys stood on the deck, working together to mop the entire surface as they often did while most of the crew slept. Mr. Arrow and Lia stood at the helm of the ship while Marta sat perched at the top of the crow's nest taking periodic naps while Onus, the day lookout, slept. All was still as the RLS Legacy drifted through the endless Ocean Between, so the boys kept rather quiet.

"I-I wouldn't go that far...but it does seem like w-we do more than some of the other crew members," Ryo admitted.

"I can't wait to finally get to Treasure Planet. Then maybe I'll be the captain of my own ship and I won't have to lift a single thing."

"What about your mom's inn?"

"Yeah, I'll fix that up too, but I mean, we're talking about the 'Treasure of 1,000 Worlds!' What are you going to do with your share?"

Ryo stopped mopping for a moment as realization struck him like a Thundaga bolt. He was on a treasure expedition and he never once gave the notion of keeping some of it himself some thought. "I...I'm not sure, actually," he said as he resumed his work.

Jim wrinkled an eyebrow. "Really? There isn't anything that comes to mind immediately?"

Ryo smiled slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Not really."

"I know what I'd do with my share!" The loud voice came from above, where Marta hung upside down from the mast.

"M-Ms. Marta!"

The sleepy girl released herself from the mast and landed on her feet between the boys. The problem was that the floor was wet, causing her to slip and fall right on top of Ryo. The boy practically fainted when he realized that he lay underneath one of his female comrades, much to Marta and Jim's amusement. The brunette hugged Ryo and said, "Aw, my hero! You saved me."

Ryo's face turned red as he responded very weakly, "Uh~huh…"

The young woman giggled as she picked both herself and Ryo up onto their feet.

As Jim finished laughing, he asked, "So what are you going to buy with the treasure, Marta?"

"That's easy. I'm going to buy a farm and be a sheep farmer!"

A sweat dropped from both Ryo's forehead, but Jim was left rather perplexed.

"What are sheep?" he asked.

"I guess you don't have them where you're from," Ryo explained. "They're these-"

"They're the most wonderful, adORable, FLUFFY-" Marta's head immediately dipped down, her face obscured by a curtain of brown and blonde as she began snoring.

"I'll never understand how she doesn't fall over," Jim said.

Ryo laughed and said, "That makes two of us." He walked Marta to the mast and set her down against it before returning to his work with Jim.

As Ryo wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, he took a moment to look out at the infinite cosmos around them. They seemed to be in an empty part of the Ocean Between since there were no worlds in sight, only constellations and distant nebulas. His eyes swept across horizontally until they settled on something straight ahead in the distance. Ryo thought nothing of it at first, but as the object got closer, he patted Jim on the shoulder.

"H-hey, what is that?"

Jim squinted his eyes, hunching forward slightly. It took a few moments to identify it initially, but once he did, Jim was certain. "A ship!"

"A-A ship?!"

"Yeah! We've got to go tell the captain!" Jim turned on his heel and dropped the mop as he ran towards the captain's quarters. "Captain Amelia! Captain Amelia!"

The feline woman emerged from her quarters, rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes. "Mr. Hawkins, what is all this racket about?"

"It looks like we're on course with another ship, Captain."

"Mr. Arrow!" she called as she walked past Jim down to the main deck.

Soon, both Mr. Arrow and Lia came from their respective sleeping quarters. Ryo watched as the green-haired woman walked by in his direction. "M-Ms. Lia…?" Lia simply tilted her head towards the bow of the ship, indicating that they should follow the Captain. Some of the other crew members awoke and went along as well, curious to see what all the commotion was about.

When Captain Amelia reached the front of the ship, she opened her telescope to get a better look at the approaching vessel. At first it was difficult to see, but when she realized what she was looking at, it was hard to believe it. The objecting heading their direction could barely even be called a ship. It was more like a skeleton of one with holes in the sails and large pieces of wood missing from the hull. Most gastly of all was the crew, who mirrored the incompleteness of their ship. Some were missing limbs, some sections of their torso, and some even the entire top half of their bodies, but they all somehow continued to move about the ship like normal people. There were crewmen pulling the sails and washing the broken planks of the deck floor, and there was even a captain steering the ship.

Captain Amelia could only let out a gasp of disbelief. "My word…"

"What is it, Captain?" Mr. Arrow asked, his hands held behind his back as he stood tall and poised as always.

"Mr. Arrow, you would think I've lost my marbles if I told you, but it seems we are being approached by a ghost ship."

The rock man smiled as he said, "I mean no disrespect Captain, but there's no such thing as a-" At that moment, the feline woman held her telescope up to his eye for him to see for himself, resulting in a bewildered expression as he finished, "...ghost ship…" Mr. Arrow faced his captain, who simply nodded to confirm that he was not going crazy. He straightened himself out, returning to the confident and dutiful man he was known to be. "What will we do, Captain?"

"Let's try to steer clear of that. Hopefully it'll stay on its course."

"Ay, Captain. Alright, men! To your posts! We're headed starboard around that ship!"

The crew did as they were told by the first mate and Captain Amelia returned to the helm of the ship to direct her helmsman. All was well for a few moments but much to her discontent, the phantom vessel mirrored the Legacy's movements. The feline captain bit her lip in slight frustration, but remained composed nonetheless, deciding to go the other direction. "To port!" she called to her crew.

Just like before, the mysterious ship responded by moving in the same direction. It was just as she had hoped against. That strange ship had business with hers. Whatever it was, Captain Amelia did not think it wise to confront them with intent of finding out, so she ordered her crew to push the ship's thrusters to 60% of their capacity. As the Legacy moved more quickly, so did the phantom vessel in its pursuit of Captain Amelia and her crew. In response, the Legacy increased its speed and so did its pursuer, matching it speed for speed. That is until the Legacy flew at 100% of its speed and the other ship only got closer and closer by the second, closing the distance between them without much effort. Soon, the thrusters' jet tails grazed against the cracked wood of the pursuer's bow.

Dr. Doppler, a dog-like scientist, looked back at the ghost ship, his eyes barely level with the edge of one of the Legacy's walls. "Uhhhh, Captain?"

"What is it, Doctor?" She sounded annoyed.

"Is it normal for ships to do that?"

As strange as the ghost ship was already, it only became more bizarre as its spine curled upward and the ship's hollow hull began to open up like a ribcage. Captain Amelia was left wide-eyed at the sight and left with no other options but to yell, "Give her all she's got!"

Mr. Arrow called up to her from the main deck, "Apologies, Captain, but that's all she's got!"

"Blast! And the cannon?"

"Afraid that we can't get a good aim with her right behind us, Captain!"

Lia, who stood with Tifa and Dr. Doppler noticed that the more the ghost ship's helmsman turned one of the two wheels at the helm, the more it opened up. Realizing how they made it possible for the ship to bend unnaturally, the green-haired young woman explained it to Captain Amelia.

"If only we could stop it," the captain thought aloud.

"I can," Lia said confidently.

"How?" Before Lia could answer, Captain Amelia turned her head up at the ship's damp interior, shook her head, and said, "Never mind. Whatever it is, just get it done."

Lia nodded and sprang off over the railing, landing directly in front of Marta only to find her asleep. "Oh no…"

"W-what is it, Ms. Lia?"

"She's asleep," Lia pointed out.

Jim looked at her with slight confusion, thinking that this wasn't that big of an obstacle. "So wake her up."

"I can't. I was told never to wake her up while she was asleep."

Jim practically ripped his hair out, "W-what?! What do you mean?! So what if she gets a little cranky? We're about to die!" He reached for Marta's shoulders to shake her awake but his hands were quickly swatted away by Lia. When Jim looked into her eyes, he began to shiver because of how cold her glare was. "S-sorry," he said as he backed away from Marta.

"M-Ms Lia, what'll we do?"

Lia balled her fingers into a fist and struck the gray circle on her right shoulder pauldron. It emitted a bright light that blinded Ryo and Jim and even irritated some of the other nearby crew members. When the light faded, Lia was covered in a set of shinobi armor plates over a black gi. The plates were primarily gray with violet accents and the helmet that concealed her face carried the same color scheme, save for the black visor.

All Jim could say was, "Woah…"

"I'm going over there to disable the helm alone."

Before Jim could ask how, Lia ran to the edge of the Legacy and jumped out, leaving him in complete shock. She then emerged on something Jim identified as being similar to a solar surfer without a sail. Instead, her feet were planted on a long, slim, metal board with pale violet wings and blue flames spewing from the rear end.

Behind her glass visor, Lia's deep sapphire eyes closed as she took a sharp breath and thought to herself, _You can do this. Ventus and the Master...they're right about you._ When her eyes opened, they held steely resolve as she leaned forward on her vehicle, jetting towards the phantom vessel.

Back on the Legacy, Ryo had to keep Jim from practically throwing himself overboard to get a better look at Lia. The brunet turned back to his fellow cabin boy and, with wide eyes, asked, "Did you see that?! She just-! With the armor-! And that weird solar surfer-! That's so-! Ahhhhh!" He was practically fangirling over Lia's display, but when the realization that Ryo did not seem as surprised settled, he contained his enthusiasm. "But I'm sure you've seen her do that before."

Ryo shook his head, "Not her, but some of our other...spacers, I have." He remembered hearing that word while onboard the Legacy to describe world travelers so he felt it appropriate to use it in that moment.

"Man! I have _got_ to join up with you guys when this is all over so that I can get my hands on one of those. Where did she even get it from? It's like it came out of nowhere. Like magic!"

That's when Ryo began to sweat. "Yeah, I suppose so."

"So how come you don't go with her?"

"I, uh...I don't have a...solar surfer yet. Or armor like hers. I'd die."

"Yeah…" Jim agreed. It wasn't good for morale, but he knew he was just as much of a goner should the Legacy lose its protective field. "I just wish there were a way for us to go over there and help."

A metal peg hit the wooden floor, causing both boys to turn. Standing behind them was the cyborg they'd been working under throughout the voyage, Mr. Silver.

"What're you lads doin' loafin' around? Eh?"

"Not much we can do about that," Jim said as he pointed up at the sharp wooden boards that jutted out from the ghost ship like a set of jagged teeth.

"Jimbo, you told me that you wanted to be an adventurer, so that's exactly what you're going to be. Come with me. You two, Rybo." The cyborg turned heel and walked towards a set of stairs that led to one of the lower decks.

As Ryo and Jim followed, the black-haired boy asked, "W-where are we going?"

"To save our skins."

The three of them disappeared downstairs while Marta stayed behind, sleeping peacefully through all the commotion.

* * *

**Location:** Midnight City - Dark City - Memory's Skyscraper

When Kairi caught up to the others, they were standing in front of Memory's Skyscraper. Unknown to any of them, images of Sora flashed on the screen, though the transmission changed back and forth between that and other images. Kairi stopped behind Roxas and Xion and bent over, holding her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

Between breaths, Kairi asked, "D-did we...already defeat...the Heartless?"

Roxas turned around and smiled softly seeing her in such an exhausted condition. He placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "Hate to break it to you, but no, not yet. We haven't found it yet."

"No one else is outside, though," Xion pointed out. "It must be closeby."

"Split up." They looked at Eric, who had spoken so quickly that it took them all a moment to realize what he had said.

"Do you think that's the best idea?" Kairi asked.

Xion supported Eric's suggestion by saying, "That would help us cover more ground. Kairi, you want to go with Eric?"

Kairi tried to hide her discomfort with the pairings. While she harbored no ill will towards Eric, she was not very familiar with him and therefore did not feel comfortable with the idea of splitting off from Roxas and Xion to go with him. She gave Roxas a look that cried, "Help me!"

The blonde understood so he suggested a different break-up of the group. "Xion, I know you and I work well together, but how about I go with Eric instead? Kairi's traveling with us so it only helps our synergy as a group if we get more opportunities to fight alongside one another. Besides, it gives me and Eric some good-old brother bonding time."

Eric tilted his head. "Brother?"

"Of course! We both used to be Nobodies. You can say that in a way that makes us related."

Eric nodded, then turned around and began walking to one side of Memory's Skyscraper. Roxas turned to Xion and said, "Let's keep our Keyblades out. The second a Keyblade leaves your hand or mine, that'll let us know that the other's found the Heartless."

"Hey, good plan!" Kairi said.

"I know! And he came up with it all on his own," Xion taunted.

Roxas was unamused. "You know what? I hope my Keyblade goes missing first." He then swiveled on his heel and began following Eric, specifically keeping an eye on the pink sash tied around his waist as the Reaper's black robe blended in with the background.

With Roxas gone, the young women looked at one another and started laughing at his expense. They then turned around and began walking to the other side of Memory's Skyscraper. As both groups diverged from one another, the screens flashing at the top of the skyscraper began to show a new image: one with yellow eyes and chains crossed between them.

* * *

**Location:** The Etherium - RLS Legacy

When Lia arrived at the phantom ship, she was welcomed by the sight of three dozen people, or the remnants of them. The crew men looked up at her, at least those who still had their faces, as she hovered over them on her board. Her eyes locked onto the individual standing at the helm, who looked back at her with a smirk. His lips were pale and colorless, as was his grayish skin with black crack-like marks spread throughout it.

"Have you come to parlay?"

Lia's eyes furrowed behind her visor. "What business do you have with us?"

He retained that damned overconfident smirk. "It is my business to rid the Ocean of pirates, señorita. The Silent Mary is the most feared pirate-hunting vessel known to ever exist."

"Pirates? But we're not-"

He interrupted, "It is true. _You_ are not a pirate. I know. I have seen your kind before. You banished me to this space when I could not return to my world."

"My kind?"

"I take it you are not a high ranking official in your order. Tell me, what business do _you_ have with pirates?"

Lia silently processed his words, wondering to herself if the people they'd been traveling with were pirates: Jim, Delbert, Captain Amelia, Mr. Arrow, Mr. Silver, the rest of the crew...After all, they were headed somewhere called _Treasure_ Planet. She shook her head in disbelief at how blind she was, but even so, she knew that she needed to get to the fabled world for her own mission.

"Perhaps you people aren't as noble as you make yourselves out to be, eh?"

While Lia could accept that Jim and the others could be pirates, she would not tolerate any disrespect towards her family and let someone call into question their values and beliefs. She leaned forward, causing her Keyblade glider to speed ahead. As she neared the arrogant man, the glider disappeared and a katana-like Keyblade, Kiku no Kizuna, appeared in her hand. She flung it directly at the specter, but he was able to deflect it with his naval military sword. The wayward Keyblade reappeared in Lia's hand as she continued flying forward at the disrespectful phantom, clashing blades with him. With so much force behind Lia's swing, he staggered back slightly, letting go of the wheel.

Another ghost called out with concern, "Capitan Salazar!"

Salazar dug his sword into one of the withering planks to retain his balance. His cold eyes locked onto the armored girl as he snarled angrily. "Hombres! Matala!"

Lia didn't need to speak Spanish to know what that meant when the horde of phantoms drew their old rusty weapons and charged at her. Two came up the stairs next to her and the one by Captain Salazar lunged forward with his own sword. Lia parried it with Kiku no Kizuna and used the momentum to spiral horizontally. The edge of the katana-like Keyblade clanged against the decaying swords, parrying them simultaneously. She spun on her heel one more time before hurling the weapon down the steps, sawing through the ghosts that climbed up them. As the legendary weapon sliced through the enemies, they faded into a cloud of darkness and pink crystal hearts floating away from the shrouds.

_Heartless_ , Lia thought. She could not dwell too long on that thought as Salazar stepped forward once again. The armored woman called her weapon back into her hand just in time to lock blades as the captain's crew continued to draw near her. Lia held Kiku no Kizuna with both hands, pressing back against the ghostly captain, but she could not push him off to escape. Their blades screeched against each other as the woman tried to change her wrist position to gain the advantage, but Salazar knew what he was doing, countering each and every miniscule move she made.

Had it not been for Ryo dropping in from a longboat, Captain Salazar's crew would have skewered Lia. A golden field of energy expanded from the longboat as Mr. Silver threw his legs over the edge, touching down onto the aged deck.

"Jimbo, keep 'er close to me and Rybo. We can't survive without it."

"Yes sir!" Jim called back as he guided the longboat above Ryo and Mr. Silver's heads.

With Salazar looking the other way, Lia was able to quickly snap her wrists to push the phantom's sword down. She then swung across him, missing by millimeters as Kiku no Kizuna skimmed through his flowing black hair. Just as Lia was about to follow up with a downward swing, the attack was intercepted by a crewman's sword, which allowed the captain to stagger out from underneath it. Lia pushed down on the blade, disarming her opponent, before whirling around and slicing through him. She then quickly fell into her fighting stance, facing Captain Salazar.

"You may not be very high up in your order, but you are a skilled combatant, señorita. It seems I underestimated you, but I will no longer make that mistake."

The captain rose his sword high into the air and suddenly orbs of darkness appeared, some high above the wooden floor, some low. From them spawned several Heartless of various species: Soldier, Air Soldier, Battleship, and Anchor Raider. The weakest of the bunch, the four Soldier Heartless, charged forward. Lia dispatched two of them easily, but as soon as Kiku no Kizuna went through the third, an anchor crashed down onto the planks under her feet, barely missing her as she leapt back. The other Anchor Raider threw its chained weapon directly at Lia middair. She took the full brunt of its edge as the heavy ballast clanged against her armor. It pushed her over the edge of the ship. As the woman felt herself float away from the anchor, she transformed her Keyblade into its glider form. Lia hoped to gain distance to escape the Anchor Raider's reach but four Air Bandits circled her like buzzards, keeping her from moving in any direction.

Down on the main deck, Ryo and Mr. Silver were being pressed by the Battleship Heartless, so much so that the ghostly crewmen were able to restrain them, forcing Jim to bring down the longboat to keep them from being impaled. The brown-haired boy too was held captive. Salazar laughed as he staggered forward with his sword like a cane.

"It seems that this is over." He turned his head slightly to his first mate. "Vaya terminarla," he said referring to the RLS Legacy.

"Graviga!" A dark multi-colored sphere of pressurized energy consumed the Battleship, pulling it down to the floor against its will. Having been caught by surprise, the crewmen holding Ryo, Jim, and Mr. Silver were unable to react to a second armored woman as she dropped down and swiftly cut through them with her Keyblade, Dream Deception. Ryo stumbled forward, using his Starlight Keyblade to balance himself. A metal glove pressed against his chest to support him as well. As the black-haired boy turned to find an orange visor looking back at him, the woman asked, "Hey, are you okay?"

"Ms. Marta? You're awake."

"Of course I am. Who could sleep with all this commotion going on?"

Despite being mid-battle, Ryo couldn't help but chuckle. He returned to his feet, standing upright and taking his fighting stance alongside his ally.

"Jimbo, to the longboat!" Mr. Silver shouted.

"Right!" Jim sprinted forward for the boat, sliding under a sword swipe before rolling into the craft. He sat himself between the thrusters and just as he was about to take flight, his eyes met with the sight of a sabre falling down on him. There was a dense clang from Mr. Silver's mechanical arm catching the blade inches from the boy's face.

Ryo charged forward, burning through the ghostly crewmember with a downward slash just like he would have done to Jim.

Mr. Silver cheered, "Good going, lads!"

By this point, Lia had used Marta's entrance to quickly whip her Keyblade Glider, striking each of the Air Soldiers around her so that she could strategically retreat down to the main deck alongside her allies.

"M-Ms. Lia, you're okay!"

Lia nodded. "So are you. Thank you for the save, Marta."

"Mhm! So what's the plan?"

Lia looked off to the side and smiled, but none of them could see. "Brace yourselves." Suddenly a ball of scorching plasma struck the ship's side, rocking all onboard. The Legacy had turned around and opened fire on the Silent Mary. Though Salazar and his crew staggered, some falling to the floor, the Battleship regained flight after the effects of Marta's spell wore off. The Anchor Raiders and the Air Soldiers were also completely unaffected. The lesser of the Heartless flew across the empty space and began attacking the Legacy's crew. As one of the Air Soldiers attempted to claw Delbert's face, it was sent flying off deck by one of Tifa's powerful kicks.

"Show them no fear, men!" Captain Amelia ordered as she fired bullet-sized plasma bolts at the dark creatures from her rifle.

The Silent Mary continued to shake with each blast that connected with it, though it never seemed to take any damage from the attacks. To make matters worse, Salazar began to retaliate with his Heartless. The Battleship Heartless, launched mortar blasts that came crashing down onto the Legacy. Grewgne, the crewmember manning the cannon, focused his aim on the incoming fire from the Battleship, but could do nothing about the anchors whirling around over the Anchor Raider's heads as the monsters prepared to launch them forward.

"Marta! The anchors!"

"On it! Zero Graviga!" A small orb of gravity-influencing magic formed around one of the anchors, lifting its wielder up. Lia was quick in her angular movement, positioning herself on the monster's left before kicking it hard enough to send it floating above its comrade. Marta then quickly increased the gravity on the anchor, dropping it directly on the other Heartless. One of the Anchor Raiders was crushed while the other laid on the floor, having been dragged down by its own weapon. Before the creature could lift itself back up, Lia's Keyblade struck through its chest causing it to fade away.

"They keep getting cooler and cooler," Jim said to himself in awe.

Mr. Silver, on the other hand, did not seem as impressed. In fact he seemed a bit worried. "That's great and all, lassies, but what'll we do about that one?" He pointed over to the Battleship that continued pressuring the Legacy. While Salazar was busy steering the helm in an attempt to get behind the Legacy, the Heartless provided all the firepower he needed to widdle it down. It also didn't help that Mr. Silver could do nothing to fight back against the phantom crew, having to work in conjunction with Ryo to slay them.

Lia took a deep breath and answered, "Mr. Silver, get on the longboat. You too Ryo. Marta, go take care of that Heartless."

"What will you do?" Marta asked.

The green-haired woman's hand went to unbutton a fold on the side of her thigh, lifting it to reveal two scrolls tucked neatly inside the pocket.

Marta asked, "Lia, are you sure? Those are your last scrolls."

"This is the only way. I need everyone off this ship."

"Ay," Mr. Silver said as Jim lowered the longboat so Ryo and the cyborg could climb aboard. The Silent Mary's crew tried to prevent this but Lia and Marta provided cover, intercepting any that would get too close, the former having flashed her armor back on.

"Marta, go now. I'll take care of things here."

Marta nodded, pushed a phantom off herself, and transformed Dream Deception into its paraglider form, a semicircle with a swirled cloud-like aesthetic. She then leapt over the edge of the Silent Mary toward the Battleship. At that moment, Lia launched herself into the air with her incredible leg strength, arching her back at the peak of her jump as the scroll in her hand began to glow brightly with a cool cyan color. The green-haired woman twisted in the air and tossed the scroll down to the deck's floor with all her might. "Ninjutsu Arts: Hyoton!" As the scroll connected with the Silent Mary, the entire vessel was blasted with a sub zero wave that froze it from one end to the other. Even Salazar and his crew were frozen over.

The sight of the ruined ship encased in a layer of frost was quite the haunting one in Ryo's opinion. All he could say was, "W-woah…"

This made Mr. Silver turn around, giving him the same sense of awe. "Well if that ain't the seventh wonder."

Lia landed on her hands and knees, out of breath from exerting so much magical energy through that last attack. She panted heavily, fogging up her visor with her warm breath. Lia knew that she needed to make her way back to the Legacy, but found it hard to stand up. It was even harder to do so when a rusty blade banged against her armor, knocking her to the floor. "Ngh!"

The green-haired woman looked over at the phantom standing over her and she could hear the layer of ice on him crack as he lifted his sword. He thrusted his sword down, striking her helmet again. Though it protected Lia's head, a piece of it cracked. "No!" she gasped. She could feel the cold touch of darkness seep into her helmet.

"Ms. Lia! We have to go back."

"Oh no!" Mr. Silver responded. "What are we supposed to do? Those things can survive bein' frozen over!"

"W-we can't just leave her. She'll die…Jim, please..."

Ryo didn't have to ask him twice. The misfit quickly turned the longboat around straight back to the Silent Mary. Luckily for them, so was Marta, who had already destroyed the Battleship. The sleepy girl held her paraglider like a bow and created a light-based arrow. She fired it directly at the phantom that stood over Lia, vanquishing it with a burning light. Marta then held onto her glider like normal before spinning it rapidly, launching a flurry of arrows at the Silent Mary. Some hit their targets, others didn't, but it provided enough cover for the longboat to reach it. As Marta landed, she picked Lia up in her arms. The ninja's legs had turned to jelly as she squirmed left and right, screaming from the freezing burn that leaked into her helmet. With Ryo's help from inside the longboat, Marta was able to get Lia within its protective field.

"Get her back to the Legacy. I'll keep them off your tail."

"Ay!" They all said.

A pair of phantoms charged forward with their swords raised, but the longboat shot forward off the deck, leaving them wide open for Marta to slice through them. She then ran to the edge and as she jumped, Dream Deception transformed into its glider form. Marta held it like a bow and shot multiple arrows as she drifted away from the Silent Mary.

Back on the longboat, Ryo had laid Lia across the floor and kneeled over her to inspect her for any wounds. All she could see was a small stream of darkness slithering out from the crack in her helmet.

"Is she hurt?" Jim asked.

"I-I don't know."

"You best take off her armor, lad."

Ryo looked down and gulped. Would it be disrespectful to remove Lia's armor? Did it matter in that moment? Ryo proposed that it didn't, considering that she might be hurt. He placed his shaky hands on her helmet and slowly removed it, revealing that the left side of her face was eclipsed with a dark shroud.

"Oh no…"

Mr. Silver pointed out, "That don't look too good."

"I don't...I don't know what to-" Ryo cut himself off with a gasp as he noticed something shimmering from inside Lia's pocket.

"What's that?" Jim asked.

"I have no idea."

Mr. Silver, not being one to respect another's personal space, slipped a finger into the pocket and pulled it aside. The three of them went wide-eyed at the sight of a grey cat-like creature poking his head out of a box.

Jim asked, "Do either of you guys know what that is?"

"No clue," Ryo responded. _If it's glowing with light…_ His eyes drifted up to Lia's face, where the gas-like cloud of darkness had diminished significantly. That's when Ryo thought to himself, _It's fighting the darkness!_

He'd have to continue his thoughts later since they had reached the Legacy's hangar. Mr. Silver's levitating pet, Morph, greeted them, floating around the vessel happily.

"Easy now, Jimbo. Just pull the levers upward. Rybo, grab hold of that rope and make sure it's secure."

"Yes sir!"

As Mr. Silver and Ryo tied the longboat up to prevent it from falling, the former plopped down next to Jim, rocking the longboat. He was visibly exhausted from their encounter with the Silent Mary and was surprised to see that Ryo wasn't.

"You've got quite the energy, lad. I could barely keep up."

Ryo laughed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck. "They keep us in top shape." His gaze fell to the girl lying unconscious inside the longboat. The glowing in her pocket was nowhere to be seen. Whatever that creature was, it seemed to have done its job because there wasn't a single trace of darkness coming off of Lia. Still, Ryo figured that it would be best to take her up to Dr. Delbert.

"You go on ahead, lad," Mr. Silver said between breaths as Ryo carried Lia out of the longboat. The boy nodded and promptly exited the doorway, leaving the cyborg and the other boy to talk as they rested.

On their way up the stairs, Lia began to stir in his arms. Sapphire gems slowly opened to find the younger apprentice carrying her princess style.

"Ryo?" Her voice was groggy.

Knowing that she was awake causing Ryo to tense up and his face began to burn when he realized how he was holding her. "M-Ms. Lia! A-are you okay?" Despite not having heard an answer, he had already knelt down to gently place her on her feet.

Lia nodded as she held the left side of her face. "Mhm...what happened?"

"Y-you took a hard hit on the other ship, b-but we managed to get you out of there."

"Thanks. I take it we're back on the Legacy?"

"Yeah."

"Where are the others?"

"Jim and Mr. Silver are s-still in the hangar. The fight r-really took it out of them. Marta's gave us cover. S-she should be on the main d-deck by now."

Lia nodded with her eyes closed, still feeling rather lightheaded. She staggered, catching herself against the wall. Ryo moved to support her, but she waved him off. "I-I'm fine." Suddenly, the entire ship rocked, forcing Lia's eyes open with shock. That time she practically fell into Ryo's arms, the boy barely holding his balance from the tremor himself. "Don't tell me they're already back on the attack!"

The woman regained her own balance and charged forward, running up the stairs that led to the main deck. There was a strange orange glow coming from above. When she saw what it was...she froze.

* * *

**Location:** The Etherium - RLS Legacy

Lia could only stare in horror, frozen, when she reached the main deck of the Legacy.

The next thing she heard was Delbert yelling about a supernova, but she couldn't hear much else. Everything felt muffled and far away as she caught sight of the star before them becoming _fire_.

Fire, racing towards her, ready to engulf her at any moment. Fire, licking at her skin, her eyes locked and unable to look away from the damage it wrought. Fire, promising harm to all she loved as they raced to save her and _it's all my fault, it's all my fault, it's all my fault it's-_

A hand grasped her wrist, pulling her away from where she was standing. Someone was talking to her, but she could just barely make out the words they were saying.

"...go to…lifeline...hold on...stay with…"

"What's...?"

"Don't...focus on..."

"...the sails…!"

"Make sure...secure…!"

The hand holding her wrist slid down to hold her hand, like it was attempting to ground her. But she couldn't tell who's it was, where she was, or anything else.

But she saw the _fire_ , saw it all too easily, as it came closer, grew bigger, _what have I done? Why did I do that? I should've waited, this is all my fault, I should've waited...should've trusted them to save me...should've-_

Suddenly, she felt someone shaking her at the same moment she felt her hidden power stirring under her skin. She had to put the fire out, had to stop it, had to fix her mistake, or they would all _die_ and

"Ms...what's...Lia! Please...got to...it!"

"...she doing? Why…"

"...don't know! S-she's...Oh no…!"

Lia's lips part and she whispered, "Sui..."

Water left her fingertips, she could see the Ninjutsu forming the proper seal, but she couldn't feel herself moving. As the torrent raged inside of her, Lia's eyes widened as she yelled, "Suiton!" A wild wave of water left her hands, flooding the main deck. Bodies were pushed aside by the water, bound to the ship only by their lifelines. There was yelling, but it was mute to her. Lia felt so detached from it all. It was like it was her, but it wasn't at the same time. All she was aware of was the water she created to combat the fire.

It didn't work, nothing was working, the fire wouldn't leave, why wouldn't it leave? _Help! Mommy! Daddy! I'm scared! I'm scared! Help me!_

She was trapped, unable to move, unable to flee, frozen from fear and hands holding her and a tie around her waist.

"Hold...or she'll…!"

She didn't know what was happening, couldn't place it at all, she was trapped. Help, _help, Help HELP!_

Suddenly, pain laced through her entire body and she gasped as everything came into sharp focus. A stiffening chill ran up her spine, sending shockwaves through her body.

A dark brown haired woman with deep crimson eyes was staring at her worriedly while holding her shoulders tightly ( _I know this woman…)_ and a black haired boy looked down with stiffened posture and a horrified look on his face.

That's when she felt an intense warmth coming from Lia's hip. She placed her shaking hand over it and felt a star-shaped box. _T-that's right...Ventus...gave this to me._ She had no idea what exactly it was but it seemed to slowly bring her to ease. That's when she realized that everything had been engulfed by darkness. Her eyes went wide. _Is this because of me…?_

She could feel someone holding her, but she could not see them. Suddenly, her back pressed against the wall as the Legacy shot forward out of the darkness. The young woman was left without words, still processing what had just happened.

"Lia…" She turned to the person holding her. It was Tifa. "Are you with us?"

The green-haired woman blinked at her and slowly nodded. Gradually, Lia's sense of sound returned and she could hear a lot of men celebrating and cheering. She became aware of the fact that she was laying on the floor, her back against a wall as if to brace her.

Then all her senses and processing came back. It was only then that she realized she held her breath.

Lia gasped before she began to breathe heavily, staring at Tifa with wide eyes.

"Tifa…" She looked over at Ryo. "I'm glad you're both safe."

"That's our line," Tifa responded with a soft smile.

Lia forced a weak smile, finding it difficult just to stay awake. She leaned her head on Tifa's shoulder. "What about Marta?"

They both stayed quiet. Her eyes shot open, but before she could say anything, Scroop announced Mr. Arrow was lost to a black hole.

"N-no…" Lia tried to stand, falling onto her hands and knees when she couldn't. "H-he's gone?!"

Captain Amelia, who looked sullen herself, turned to face her.

"H-he can't be!" Lia turned to Ryo and Tifa. "And Marta? You never answered me!"

Again, they were both quiet, but Ryo's eyes spoke to Lia. They were bloodshot. His hands were balled up in a fist and they were trembling.

"No...her too…?"

Lia's eyes closed and the world went sideways for her. She blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wolfie: ...
> 
> :)
> 
> That's the end of that! We'll be back by Halloween at the latest. BYe!


	12. Those That Are Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Legacy: Well from the looks of the review section, it seems like you guys really enjoyed the last chapter and Wolfie and I are glad to see that! I'm glad we were able to deliver a chapter full of excitement and new questions for you to ponder about. From the looks of it, we weren't able to answer any of them, so I'd like to apologize for that, but they will get answered eventually. That's just another reason to keep reading. Am I right?
> 
> Wolfie: I'd say so! And, of course, there's still so much more to see! Also, hi, we're back early this time! Not much else to say here...just enjoy, hopefully this chapter leads you to smiling and crying both!

**Chapter 10: Those That Are Lost**

* * *

**Location:** The Ocean Between

Gia's hand went straight for her chest as she clutched the pendant hidden behind her shirt. "Ngh! L-Lia…" It was difficult for her to breathe, like the air in her lungs was pulled directly out. Her chest felt tight and her head pounded with an intense migraine. Silver tresses flowed back and forth as Gia's head wobbled dizzily.

"Gia!" Sari said. "What's wrong?"

"I...I...Ngh!" Gia curled over in her seat, trembling as her body tried to fight off the intense despair that burned through her.

Jack called to Riku, "Master, Gia's not looking so well!"

Riku turned to her with a studious look on his face. He seemed to have an idea about what was happening and so did Rickson, who watched Gia with mild concern. The teenage boy stood from his seat and put a hand on Sari's shoulder. He then looked back to his master and asked, "This is like with Lia, right?"

Riku nodded. "Mm."

"What are you two talking about?" Sari asked, turning back to them. Her eyes widened when she felt Gia take hold of her wrist.

"D-darkness..." That was all Gia could choke out through the pain.

Rickson explained, "Something similar happens to Lia whenever Gia experiences a Light Flare, as Lea refers to it."

"A what?"

"Sari, do you know why we keep the twins separate from one another?"

"Well...I know it has something to do with their uncontrollable powers of light and darkness."

"Is that what that was back on the island?" Jack asked.

"Yes," Riku confirmed. "Which means Lia must be experiencing something similar...a Dark Flare."

"Lia's...in trouble…" Gia's eyelids shut around her blue eyes, as she fell forward into Sari's arms.

"G-Gia!"

Rickson gave Sari's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "She'll be fine. Lia recovers from these dizzy spells after a short nap. But, if this happened to Gia…"

Riku nodded. "Yeah. Things just keep getting worse. First you three are ambushed, then Sora goes missing, the twins are having their Flares, and the Land of Departure was attacked. Aqua must have filled Ventus in so he and the others on Radiant Garden can keep an eye out, but I'll call him just to be safe."

"And then what?" Rickson asked. "Master, who do we help?"

Riku closed his eyes and took a sharp breath. "We go with Lia."

"G-go...with…"

Sari looked down to find Gia standing up from her seat, pushing herself up by using the redhead as support.

"Gia! You need to rest!"

Gia ignored Sari's advice and held her hand out in front of her. She could barely see through one squinted eye with blurry vision that would come and go as she focused on her own fingers. "Open...please open…"

"What is she-?"

Sari was cut off by her master, "A dark corridor. Gia, you don't have your cloak for that."

"I don't...care. I need to...Lia…" She couldn't even finish the thought before she blacked out.

* * *

**Location:** Radiant Garden - Ansem's Castle

"So you think this underground fighting ring is connected to the materia being smuggled around?" Ventus asked as he and Mahir met with Ansem and his apprentices. Naminé sat in during the meeting as well, projecting images of the fighting circuit through a tablet.

"That is correct." Ienzo nodded. "We received reports on materia shortage from the Moogles several weeks ago."

"And around that time frame is when the underground ring started up." Even added, looking over the notes in his hands as he spoke. "Dilan, Aeleus and Isa have been performing reconnaissance as soon as we connected the two events."

"Right, and you think working your way up in the ranks will allow us to make contact with the boss?" Ventus clarified.

"But haven't you guys been doing this for a while now? I mean, didn't Master Riku and Lia say Aeleus was the champion of the ring?" Mahir asked, leaning forward with a furrowed brow. Ventus felt the slightest bit of pride at seeing how serious his apprentice was taking the situation.

"That's true." Aeleus grunted, looking displeased. "But…"

Suddenly, Ventus felt the tiniest prick in his mind, in a place where only two people resided: his Chirithy and his…

Without even noticing it, Ventus stopped listening, feeling his heart pounding in his chest, and he focused solely on that. Fear rose up within him, causing a lump to form in his throat, preventing him from speaking. Everything sounded so far away, as he focused on that tiny prick.

_Is she...are they…_

He couldn't finish the thought. He could feel a clammy sweat forming on his palms, the urge to bounce his right leg igniting and he wanted to play with his wristband, something to keep himself busy from this fear.

He was distantly aware of Mahir calling out to him, sounding increasingly frantic, but he couldn't respond. The lump in his throat prevented all manner of speech, as if the idea of her vanishing from his mind, from his very _life_ , was enough to convince his body that speaking was unnecessary. What was the point, if she were not here?

But as his fear reached a crescendo, the prick flared within his mind, no longer scared, but warm and reassuring. They were okay.

Chirithy was okay…

_She was okay…_

"Ventus, are you with us?"

Blinking, Ventus looked up, only to see Isa gripping his shoulders gently, the former Luna Diviner leaning close enough that the rest of the room was hidden from sight by his face and hair. In a way, Isa was providing the blonde Master with privacy and he appreciated it.

Slowly, Ventus opened his mouth and finally managed to speak.

"Yes."

"Thank Kingdom Hearts!" Mahir gasped in relief, before the sound of his hands slapping over his mouth rang out. Obviously, Isa had asked for them all to be silent while he brought Ventus out of his thoughts, but the young apprentice couldn't help himself. Ventus almost smiled at that. Almost. It still felt difficult, at the moment.

"Good, now answer me if you can." Isa whispered, his voice soft. "What happened was you feeling a loved one in danger, yes?"

"Yes." Ventus confirmed, unable to help the shiver that raked up his spine. Just the thought of losing both of them…

"And they are alright, to the point you can focus on us again?" Isa questioned.

"Yes."

"That's good. That means whoever you are worried for, they are safe now. You can trust in that."

"Yeah...yeah, I know." Ventus nodded. And he knew she was safe, they had given her every precaution possible and a good team to back her up. She was safe...he had to remember that, if he was going to get anywhere with this mission and back to the Land of Departure to check on her. With a deep breath, Ventus sat up and met the group before him's eyes as Isa backed away, allowing him to see them once more. "I'm sorry for the interruption."

"Don't think anything of it, my boy." Ansem shook his head. "Occasionally, everyone has a moment such as this. Even Isa. It's how he knew to calm you."

Naminé chimed in, "That's how we know Xion's always okay. Isn't that right, Ienzo?"

Ienzo's face burned brightly as he cleared his throat, earning laughter from his peers and mentors.

Ansem redirected the group's attention back to the matter at hand by asking Ventus, "Are you sure you are well enough to continue, young Ventus?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Ventus nodded. _Now, at least._ He mentally added. There was no need to worry his apprentice even more than he already was. Clearing his throat, he turned back to the room at large. "Now, I'm sorry, could you explain how you plan to make contact with the boss of the ring again?"

* * *

**Location:** The Etherium - RLS Legacy - Captain's Quarters

"According to the map, it won't be long until we reach Treasure Planet," Captain Amelia said as she eyed the golden sphere in her gloved hand with focus and intent. Her eyes rose past the round surface to the four that stood across from her: Lia, Ryo, Tifa, and Delbert.

The green haired woman nodded silently with a stoic face. She'd yet to show even the slightest hint of emotion since Marta...was left behind. It was a mystery if Lia was even paying attention.

"When we do, what will the three of you do?"

Ryo and Tifa turned to Lia for her response, but it never came.

"Ms. Geraldine?"

Lia blinked, her pupils adjusting to focus on the feline captain. "Yes, Captain?"

Instead of repeating the question, Captain Amelia looked to the others and asked, "Could you all excuse us? I must have a word with Ms. Geraldine."

With polite nods, the others vacated the office, leaving only the captain of the RLS Legacy and the captain of the materia mission.

"What would you like to discuss, Captain?"

The woman said nothing as she stood up and walked around her desk. She placed a hand on either of Lia's shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes.

"I share in your loss, Ms. Geraldine. Your teacher...he told me you were in charge of your group, so I know the feeling of failure. You feel like you failed Ms. Lesia."

Lia's jaw clenched, her hand went to hold the opposite elbow, and her gaze fell. She couldn't look at Captain Amelia. "Not just her. I failed Mr. Arrow too. The both of them were such good-"

"Yes...they were. But both understood the dangers of this voyage and accepted them. Your people, I knew of your existence long before Mr. Hinode set foot on my ship - Key-wielding warriors who roam the expansive universe and fight the evil in it. There are many stories of your kind...stories I would hear as a youngling. So when I was given the opportunity to work alongside you, the little kitten in me could not say no. If I had, maybe Ms. Lesia would not have met such a grim fate. For that, I offer my most sincere apologies."

Lia was left wide-eyed as Captain Amelia bowed her head solemnly. The green-haired woman gulped and shook her head. "It's not your fault. I know that we can die at any point. I didn't realize that when I accepted this mission. I do now. We have to...we have to keep moving forward."

Captain Amelia nodded. "Right you are. For Mr. Arrow and Ms. Lesia."

* * *

**Location:** The Etherium - RLS Legacy - Main Deck

As they exited the Captain's Quarters, Tifa let out a sigh that drew Ryo's attention to her.

"M-Ms. Tifa…? Are you okay?" He hesitantly voiced. Tifa smiled at him slightly in response.

"I'm okay, I'm just worried about Lia." She explained, her expression turning mournful. "I can't imagine just how heavily this is weighing on her…"

"Y-yeah...Ms. Marta was an experienced Keyblade wielder. I can't believe s-she'd…" Ryo trailed off, unable to say it.

"That she'd fall asleep in the middle of using her glider right as the supernova became a black hole?" Tifa finished his sentence with the same sad smile. "Me either, Ryo."

"W-we should've done more to save her! There m-must've been something we could've done!" Ryo burst out suddenly, his eyes filling with tears as he clenched his fists. When he closed his eyes, he could still see Marta falling helplessly into the black hole. If only he knew how to use a glider, he could've caught her! Or if he had known even a low tier Magnet spell, perhaps he could've pulled her back to the Legacy with it! Or-!

"There's no point in considering the what-ifs, Ryo." Tifa cut off his spiraling thoughts with a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You had a job to do, to keep everyone here safe by helping with the sails, you couldn't leave to help Marta."

"But-!"

"No buts." Tifa shook her head, laying a finger against Ryo's lips. "Marta wouldn't want you to feel like this, would she?"

"No…" Ryo shook his head dejectedly as Tifa removed her finger. "She'd...she'd tell me to keep fighting with a b-big grin on her face...then she'd fall asleep a-and use me as a pillow. But she wouldn't want me to give up…"

"That's right, and that's what we'll do." Tifa smiled proudly. "But, more than that, what you have to do is never forget Marta and don't let anyone else who knew her forget either. As long as all of you remember her, she's never truly gone. Do you understand?"

"I...I think so." Ryo nodded, thoughts of Marta and his mother racing through his mind. "As long as we never forget...they'll always be alive...and live through us."

"Exactly." Tifa nodded. Ryo smiled, but before he could say anything, he suddenly felt a hand clasp around his arm and _pull_!

"We gotta go!" Jim hissed as he pulled Ryo and Dr. Doppler back to the Captain's Quarters, Tifa running after them.

"Wh-Jim!? What's going on?!" Ryo cried, startled as he found himself thrown into Captain Amelia's office, staring up at the captain and Lia, feeling confusion set in as they too turned to the group that charged in surprise. It was the entirety of the crew, including Mr. Silver, that approached them with swords and blasters raised. The door shut behind them and both Lia and Captain Amelia gave them questionable looks.

"What's the meaning of this?" the captain demanded.

Jim shouted, "Silver! He's a pirate! They're all pirates!"

Lia froze as Salazar's words replayed in her head. He was right. Fortunately, it seemed that Jim, Delbert, and Amelia were not part of it.

The captain opened a cabinet and grabbed a blaster from inside. "Pirates on my ship? I'll see they all hang! Doctor, are you familiar with these?" She tossed it over to the dogman, who held it uncomfortably.

"Oh, I've seen...uh...well I've read...uh-" A plasma bolt fired off from Delbert's blaster, destroying the globe to Captain Amelia's right. "Uh...no. No, no I'm not."

The captain rolled her eyes and looked at the others. "And the rest of you?"

Lia and Ryo both flashed their Keyblades into their hands and Tifa raised her fists. Captain Amelia nodded, understanding that they would be fine without blasters. She then turned to Jim and tossed the map to him. "Mr. Hawkins, defend this with your life." As the golden sphere left her clawed fingers, Morph caught it with his mouth.

"Morph!" Jim and Ryo screamed as the former wrestled with the little blob for the map.

"Give me that!" Jim said, pulling the device away from Morph.

Sounds of electric beams superheating the lock buzzed from the other side of the door, calling all of their attention to the entrance.

Lia turned to Jim and said, "You need to get that out of here. Get to the longboat and go. We'll hold them off." Lia held her Keyblade up, but her grip was shaky.

Captain Amelia noticed the instability in Lia's heart and gently pushed the young woman's hand down. Lia turned to look up at her with confused eyes. The captain shook her head as she said, "A good leader knows when to live to see another day. Don't be a martyr."

Lia wanted to stay and fight. There was fear in her heart, fear of losing another ally, but there was something else there as well. An itching feeling that told her to rebel. Her face hardened as she backed away from the captain and shook her head. "No. I'm going to-"

A quick chop to the back of the neck delivered by Tifa knocked Lia out cold. The dark-haired woman took hold of the Keyblade wielder and lifted her with ease. "I'm sorry Lia, but we don't have time for this." She looked up to Captain Amelia and asked, "How do we get down to the hangar?"

Captain Amelia aimed her rifle downward and blasted a hole in the floor.

"I guess that's one way," Tifa said with a shrug as Jim and Delbert hopped down. The rest followed suit before Silver obliterated the door with his arm cannon. They could all hear the commotion coming from above, indicating that he and the other pirates would be close behind.

The space bandits were so close behind that they caught up to Ryo and the others by the time they entered the hangar. Captain Amelia was quick to shut the door and melt the handle to keep them busy. "To the longboats quickly!"

Everyone piled into one of the boats while Captain Amelia opened the door below them. She then sprinted to catch up with the others and sailed through the air with an agile leap. With everyone inside, they just needed the door to open fully to make their escape. Morph had other plans, however. The little blob saw the map in Jim's back pocket and swiped it away.

"Morph?! No!" The boy tried to grab him but missed so he jumped onto the walkway.

That's when the door was lasered open and some of the pirates burst into the hangar. Bolts of hot plasma flew back and forth between Captain Amelia and the pirates. She yelled at them, "Chew on this you puss-filled boils!"

Ryo deflected a few of the stray bolts with his Keyblade, but could do nothing to retaliate. Delbert stood up and took aim before covering his eyes and pulling the trigger. A bolt struck a metal mechanism, causing it to crash down and destroy the platform that the pirates stood on, sending them down into Treasure Planet's atmosphere.

Everyone looked at him with surprise and Captain Amelia even asked, "Did you actually aim for that?"

Delbert looked down at his own weapon with a similar look on his face as he replied, "You know, I actually did?!" He was unaware of the next wave of blasts coming his way so Captain Amelia was quick to push him down and cover him while Silver pulled the lever to shut the door.

"Aw, blast it!" The captain cursed. "Doctor, when I say now, shoot the forward cable. I'll take this one."

"Morph! Here! Morph!" Jim was still chasing the pink blob around.

When Silver realized that Morph had the map, he tried to call his pet back to him. Jim did the same, causing Morph to look back and forth between the two. Silver was his owner and rescued him when he had no one else, but over the past few weeks, he'd had more fun with Jim than ever before, getting incredibly close to the boy. It was impossible to pick between the two, so he hid into a ring of rope. Morph did not understand the gravity of the situation, thinking it only to be a game.

Silver stumbled down to his hands and knees, having taken a previous injury from Jim earlier. As he crawled across the catwalk, Jim rushed forward and plucked the map from the rope before bolting back to the longboat. Silver lifted his gun straight at Jim and locked onto him with his cybernetic eye, but could not bring himself to make the shot. As Jim fell into the longboat, Captain Amelia and Delbert cut the cables that held the longboat up. It hit against the closing door, but managed to slip through so they could escape. Jim's landing was not as smooth as he would have liked it, leaving him to hang over the edge of the boat, but Ryo pulled him back in and Captain Amelia sailed the vessel forward. They were free! They just needed to get out of sight in the treeline, but that would prove to be difficult as one of the pirates took aim at the longboat with the Legacy's cannon. The large ball of fiery plasma flew directly at them, striking the sail and Captain Amelia's right arm. She clutched the injury and lurched forward with a painful moan.

As the solar sail burned to ash, the longboat began to plummet down uncontrollably. Captain Amelia tried to ignore the pain to steer them to safety, but the bottom of the boat hit a treetop and then several branches after that until it finally struck the ground and flipped over with everyone in it. Tifa held Lia tightly to herself throughout it all while the others did their best to hang on. When the boat finally stopped moving, Jim and Ryo were able to lift it up to find that everyone seemed to have made it out of that wreck alive and mostly uninjured.

Delbert stood up and said, "Oh my goodness. That was more fun than I ever want to have again."

Captain Amelia chuckled as she pushed herself up onto her feet. "That's not one of my gossamer landings." Suddenly a sharp pain poked at her side, causing her to collapse to her knees.

"Captain!" Delbert said as he went to her side. He and Ryo helped her back up, but she waved them away.

"Oh, don't fuss. Slight bruising, that's all. A cup of tea and I'll be right as rain." She pushed a loose strand of hair back in its place and said, "Mr. Hawkins, the map if you please."

Jim reached into his pocket and revealed the gold ball that would lead them to Treasure Planet...or rather, something that looked like it. The map rose out of Jim's hand and broke apart before rearranging itself to reveal that it was a particular shape-shifting blob, one who found this little practical joke hilarious.

Jim yelled, "Morph?! Morph! Where's the map?!"

Morph quickly transformed himself into the map and the ring of rope from earlier, demonstrating that it was inside the ring.

"Are you serious?! It's back on the ship?!"

Morph flew around playfully, oblivious to the sound of a second longboat descending nearby. The others all took notice and it was Captain Amelia who told Jim to "stifle that blob." The boy quickly grabbed hold of Morph as they all watched the longboat sail past them through the treeline.

Captain Amelia assessed the situation while using the longboat as cover. "We need a more defensible position. Mr. Hawkins, scout ahead." She handed him her pistol and then looked at Ryo. "Mr. Grace, could you go with him?" The black-haired boy nodded and walked away with Jim and Morph while Delbert asked to take a look at her wound. Tifa watched after the boys, praying that they would be alright. She knew she needed to stay behind to watch over the others in case Silver's pirates attacked.

* * *

**Location** : Midnight City - Dark City

Not long had passed since Kairi and Xion had split off from Roxas and Eric. The two walked through the puddled streets of the Dark City, slicing away at any Neo Shadows that they came across. Being Keyblade wielders, the darkness was especially drawn to them, but for some reason, they had not encountered the Heartless they were looking for.

"So we're looking for a Possessor Heartless, right?" Kairi asked.

"We could be, but Eric said that it could be any number of Heartless. Still, keep on the lookout for any statues or idols that a Possessor could take control of."

Kairi nodded and remained silent afterward, following Xion's lead with Keyblade in hand.

Xion reached the end of a block and pressed her back against the wall of the building. Kairi followed suit and waited for her friend to provide a signal. The redhead waited in silence and stillness, which made her heart pound in her chest and her legs stiffen with nerves. Xion peered around the corner, checking for any abnormally strong Heartless in the vicinity. What she found was a group of Neo Shadows surrounding a pair of Dusk Nobodies who seemed to be doing their best to keep the Heartless at bay. This would not last much longer so Xion motioned to Kairi to follow her and the two charged around the corner to aid the Nobodies.

Kairi was the first to take action by hurling her Keyblade with an aura of light flaring around it. As Destiny's Embrace sawed through a Neo Shadow, Kairi warped into the dispersing shroud of darkness that was once a Heartless and caught her weapon. She then spun around to discourage any of the other Neo Shadows from lunging at her. Xion added another layer of defense by raising her Keyblade into the air to cast Holy around Kairi. However at that moment, Oathkeeper disappeared from her hand, leaving Xion wide-eyed.

She muttered to herself, "Not now!"

Despite being robbed of her Keyblade by her partner, Xion channeled her light magic through her finger tips and delivered a slightly weaker version of her spell than what she intended to use. Several thin lasers of light crashed down around the redhead, ripping off the arm of an unfortunate Heartless who was too close to Kairi to get away. The monster wailed in pain, but one of the Dusks showed no remorse towards it as the silver creature punctured its chest with a swift kick. The Neo Shadow faded away, but did not release a Heart.

Xion knew that Roxas had encountered the Heartless they were looking for, but she needed to finish off the remaining Heartless here before rendezvousing with her partner. She summoned Oathkeeper back into her hand and charged forward as Kairi retreated, effectively switching places. While leaping backward, Kairi covered Xion as she unleashed a flurry of slashes by casting a Holy spell of her own, but infused it with fiery magic, in the form of Flower Shoot. The sphere of golden light flew into one of the Neo Shadows, forcing its body to be consumed by brilliant golden flames. From that point, Kairi, Xion, and the two Dusks were able to eliminate the remaining Heartless.

Afterward, the Nobodies showed no semblance of consciousness or personality and simply walked away from the pair of women.

Kairi chuckled to herself, earning a puzzled look from Xion. "What's wrong?"

The Princess of Heart shook her head and said, "It's nothing. It's just that before coming here, I would've cut down a Nobody just as I would a Heartless. I never realized how docile they could be."

Xion nodded. "The only reason they were so aggressive before was because Xemnas and the other members of Organization XIII were manipulating them. At their core, Nobodies are just looking for a reason to exist and Xemnas gave that to them. If left alone and given the chance to live, they'll eventually regain their hearts and find purpose. Heartless, on the other hand, don't have a reason to exist. The longer they exist, the more strife they inflict on others. That's why I don't hesitate to strike them down."

For a moment, Kairi could see a small smirk form on Xion's face. Could she be deriving joy from this? Kairi hesitantly asked, "X-Xion...we're only doing this until Lauriam and Elrena's people can take control of the situation here themselves, right? We still have no idea where Sora is…"

"Yeah! Of course!"

Xion pulled her Gummi Phone out of her pocket to find a message from Roxas and read it aloud. "Midnight Blue Nightclub."

"A nightclub?"

"I think I know where it is. Come on, we need to hurry!"

"Right!"

Xion did away with her Keyblade in case Roxas needed to use it and began running toward the area of the city that the men went in.

* * *

**Location:** Midnight City - Dark City

Since the encounter with the two Dusks and the small mob of Neo Shadows, Kairi and Xion cut through wave after wave of Heartless, which were growing progressively stronger. In addition to Neo Shadows, the twin Keyblade wielders encountered Darkball, Earthcore, and Invisible Heartless. While making their way through the dark city, Kairi and Xion could feel the ground shaking.

"They must be having some battle," Xion pointed out.

"Yeah, it seems like it's a strong Heartless. I hope we can make it there before one of them gets hurt." The women rounded a corner only to find that they had reached a dead end. Kairi let out a groan. "Why does this city have to be so complicated?"

"I won't disagree with you there," Xion said. "As many times as I've been here, I still don't know the whole layout. Even so…"

"Hmm?" Kairi looked over at her friend with a look of curiosity as to what the raven-haired woman was thinking.

"Something's not right. I just...I just can't place my finger on it." The ground shook once again pulling their attention back to the matter at hand. Xion pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind and said, "Come on, we've got to keep moving."

"Right!"

The girls continued running through the streets until they went around a corner and found themselves facing a deadend. Xion shook her head and said, "No, that can't be right. That building wasn't there before." She turned around to make sure they were on the right street, which they were. "How did-?"

Xion walked forward, too preoccupied by her own confusion to notice that the ground had started rumbling again. When she and Kairi turned around, they found that the building across the street began moving toward them, but it was not just any building. The facade had been warped to resemble some sort of chained monster. A pair of yellow eyes peered through two of the windows and several of the windows below had been rearranged to resemble a mouth.

Xion shouted, "Don't let it close us off!"

She and Kairi darted towards the gaps between the incoming monster building and the other stationary buildings to avoid being boxed in. The Heartless had other plans in mind, however, as several rusted chains jutted out from its marred facade and sailed across the air aiming for the women. Kairi flung her Keyblade to a safe space and teleported to it, effectively evading all of the chains. Xion, however, had to jump and sidestep to keep herself from being impaled by the massive arrowheads on the end of each chain. She summoned Two Become One to signal the encounter to Roxas and then quickly dismissed her partner's weapon.

Despite missing the Keyblade wielders, the Heartless simply used its chains as harpoons to move itself faster. Kairi readied to toss Destiny's Embrace and warp out of the box, but when she turned to check on Xion, she found that the black-haired woman was nowhere near the exit. Instead of saving herself, Kairi changed directions and ran _toward_ the monster building. She jumped up and made contact with the outer wall as she began scaling up the side of the building. More chains shot out and curled back towards her, piercing through the facade every time they missed. Kairi moved from side-to-side to avoid the chains, and even leapt to the other buildings once the Heartless had completely boxed them in. Xion followed her example and began running up the brick exterior.

The Heartless took notice and continued its assault on the Keyblade wielders, hurling the bricks from the building facades at them. The women blocked against the bricks and dodged the chains, knowing that the stronger attacks would completely knock them off. They ran as fast as they could while their four walls grew smaller and smaller.

As Kairi and Xion neared the exit above them, the Heartless possessed Xion's building and began to shake the entire structure, forcing the brickwork to crumble. Xion lost her footing and slipped off the surface.

"No!"

The Heartless wailed with menacing laughter, which alerted Kairi. The redhead acted quickly, springing off of the wall and tossing her Keyblade toward her friend. "Xion!"

The raven-haired woman caught Destiny's Embrace and Kairi appeared next to her in freefall immediately after. Kairi grabbed hold of Xion wrist and with all her might, she threw Xion toward the nearest wall with her Keyblade following right behind. As the flower-themed weapon neared the building, Kairi touched down against it and continued her incline alongside Xion.

The Heartless attempted the same trick that surprised Xion but the women learned quickly how to work around it by making use of Kairi's warping ability and soon, they reached the top, landing directly on one of the buildings. Xion was the first to touch down with Kairi close behind. Destiny's Embrace came whirling up before Kairi did.

"Xion! To the center!" Xion did as Kairi said and lobbed Destiny's Embrace up into the collection of buildings.

Kairi warped to her weapon, completely untethered to the ground as she floated above all the nearby buildings. The round moon behind her created a perfect ring around her silhouette as multiple spheres of golden light appeared behind her. Kairi took hold of Destiny's Embrace with both hands as gravity began to pull her down. She spun gracefully while her volley of Holy spheres rained down with her. She guided them away from her, bombarding the sides of the buildings with her fiery golden projectiles.

From Xion's point of view, the alleyway was lit like a brilliant star as multiple explosions popped inside of it. She could do nothing but smile in amazement at the power of a Princess of Heart. She was about to make her way down to join Kairi when she noticed the redhead scaling the building up again. As Kairi reached the ledge, she jumped up and over it, landing beside Xion.

"Very impressive," Xion complimented. "Have you ever considered doing some bounty hunter work?"

Kairi rested her hands on her knees while trying to catch her breath. She tilted her head up to look at Xion with an unamused look on her face.

Xion raised her hands defensively, but maintained a sly smirk. "Hey, just saying." She walked over to the edge of the building and said, "I wonder what kind of Heartless it was." She could not see anything in the pitch darkness in the alley. "Regardless, we should try to regroup with Roxas and Eric before we go down there to check to see if it's still alive somewhere down there."

Kairi stood up straight and said, "I'm okay, Xion. I promise. Let's just search the area ourselves."

"Kairi, we should wait for the others. You're out of breath and even I'm starting to get tired. We'll be stronger together."

With a frustrated sigh, Kairi said, "Xion, I just want to get this mission over and done with. Are we going or not?"

Xion's brow furrowed with concern. She approached her friend with a gentle hand on her shoulder and asked, "Kairi, what's wrong?"

Kairi let out another sigh and said, "Nothing. I just want to finish this mission."

"Why are you in such a hurry? We'll be able to go back to the castle and rest up once we do a quick sweep of the area with Roxas and Eric."

"That's the point! We're just going back to the castle afterward. Sora is out there and we don't know where and you don't even care!"

That offended Xion. "Look, I do care about him, but Lauriam and Elrena...they need us now."

"So does Sora." Kairi was very matter-of-fact. It made Xion back away.

"I know we agreed to help you look for him, but we can't just abandon everyone here." Xion stated, a frown growing on her face.

Kairi was growing more anxious. "I...I know, Xion, it's just...the longer we take, the farther away he gets and-"

"Kairi, we don't even know if he's on the move."

That's when Kairi turned away with a growl, practically ready to rip her hair out as she shouted, "We don't know anything!" She looked into Xion's eyes and gripped her heart. " _I_ don't know anything, Xion. I don't know where he is, or if he's okay. Or if he's…"

"Dead?" Xion's voice cut Kairi off instantly, the cold of it sending chills down Kairi's spine. Xion was looking down at her hands, which were clenched into fists at her sides. "You're right. We don't know if he's dead. But everyone here is still alive. They need us, they need our help, and you want to...to _abandon_ them to the Heartless just so...just so you can _find your boyfriend_?"

"Xion! I-" Kairi started to say.

"Everyone here is important too! They're our friends too!" Xion growled, pushing herself forward and glaring down at Kairi, her eyes like fire. "Just because we agreed to help you find Sora doesn't mean that we turn away everyone else! We have an obligation to help everyone here too!"

"I understand, Xion, but the purpose of this mission was to find Sora!" Kairi argued, stepping closer to Xion, refusing to be looked down on. "And he's not just my boyfriend, he's your friend too!"

"But that doesn't mean we abandon where we're needed! Or have you forgotten the entire point of our job as Guardians of Light? We're supposed to keep the balance!" Xion pointed out. "Or have you and Sora forgotten that, off playing house as if the past decade never happened?"

"Now that's not fair and you know it! We had to leave, after-" Kairi cut herself off with a growl, glaring at Xion.

"Kairi, for all we know, Sora could be in the Final World and there's no way for us to find him! We need to focus on the present and keep doing _our jobs_! We're not children anymore, for God's sake!" Xion snarled, throwing her hands in the air.

Kairi could only stare at the raven haired bounty hunter, wide eyed and hurt. She just...she really…

Wiping away the tears that slipped down her cheeks, Kairi glared at Xion and snarled, "If it weren't for Sora, _you_ would never have existed in the first place."

Without a glance back, the redheaded princess leapt off the roof disappearing over the edge and leaving Xion standing there all alone.

Xion thought Sora was in the Final World? Fine. Then Kairi would just go there herself and find him. She'd bring him back, bring him home and they could forget all of this ever happened. The worlds would be fine, their friends would be fine, they would be fine, everything would be just _fine_!

But deep down, a small part of Kairi knew what she was thinking was simply wishful thinking brought on by denial. Even still, she refused to give it up. She would live in denial until every last speck of it was crushed.

That was the only way she knew she could get through this now.

* * *

**_Location_ ** _: The Lunar Whale_

_She stared out at the stars flying past the window, her fingers playing with the folds of her sash tied around her waist._

_"Your life force is practically trembling, you know. I felt it halfway across the ship." A voice interrupted her thoughts, causing her to jerk away from the window with wide eyes._

_"I-I'm sorry!" She stuttered as her eyes landed on Anahita, her curly, light blonde hair with dark red highlights standing out in the sheer amount of white surrounding the two of them. "It must hurt so much, I-I'll stop!"_

_"Hey, it's no big deal. I'm getting used to it. Besides, it's easier just around your jittery life force than all the worry over Cecil's." Anahita shrugged, her expression blithe, as if making light of the situation._

_But she couldn't make light of it, looking down in almost guilt as she remembered watching everyone worrying over Cecil, as Takara examined his life force grimly and they boarded The Lunar Whale shortly after. Rosa hadn't left Cecil's side since and Ursula had to tear their son, Ceodore, away so he could focus on what was coming next._

_Their fight on the moon for the Crystals, and for their world itself._

_"Oh…" She trailed off, looking away._

_"Hey, what's wrong? You're not usually so down." Anahita commented, leaning against the window to examine her with scrutinizing light gold eyes. Sometimes she hated those eyes. They always saw so much more than she wanted them to. "Come on, talk to me."_

_"It's just…"_

_"You're avoiding your parents, even more so than everyone else." Anahita bluntly stated, her expression no longer gentle, causing the red painted scars on her tanned cheeks to stand out ferociously. She flinched violently, unable to protest._

_She wasn't_ wrong _, after all._

_"It's just...I...I'm not useful at all." She answered, feeling her fists clench tightly at her sides. She hated showing weakness, but...this was Anahita, who understood more than others what it was like to grow up in the shadow of a stronger parent. "I...I was with Mom this whole time and I wasn't able to do much of anything! And I wouldn't have been able to help Dad either! And now…! Now we're going to the_ moon _and everyone, even Ceodore, is so much stronger than me and I'll hold everyone back! What if…! What if I'm the reason my parents die? What if they don't make it back and it's my fault?!"_

_"Hey! Hey! Stop that!" Anahita cried, wrapping her arms around her. She...she was crying...when did she start crying…? "I don't know where the Crystals you got this idea from, but you couldn't be more wrong. You're a huge help, no matter what you think. And besides, you're_ nine _and fighting in a battle_ equal _to what our parents fought in_ before we were born _! Do you know how amazing that is? I couldn't have done it, I could barely play an effective Lullaby and you held your own against_ Eidolons _. You're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for. Besides, my father already told me that for a parent, having their child nearby to protect them is an even stronger reason to continue fighting. To not give up. So keep your chin up, yeah?"_

_"Y-yeah...you're right." She nodded, pulling away and looking up at Anahita with determined eyes. "I'm going to help Cecil and stop whatever it was that took Mom's Eidolons and let Dad out of the castle, cause the Seneschal's gonna kill us all when we get back thanks to this!"_

_"That's the spirit!" Anahita grinned before she winced, her hand reaching up to touch her forehead gently. "Ugh...looks like Porom and Leonora are coming."_

_And sure enough, the two white mages rounded the corner of the hallway the two of them were talking in._

_"Ah, there you are." Leonora smiled gently as she approached them, waving through her oversized sleeves as she did so._

_"We're approaching the moon surface, so Golbez asked us to find everyone to meet on deck." Porom explained, coming over to take her hand in one hand and Anahita's in the other, even though Anahita was fourteen and just as capable as fifteen and sixteen year old Ceodore and Ursula. "Are you two ready?"_

_"I think I'll manage." Anahita smiled weakly, her eyes going to her curiously._

_"Li?" Leonora turned to her, concern in her eyes._

_"Of course I'm ready! Let's go kick some butt!" She grinned brightly, determined to not let them worry about her. As long as she could fight, she would, so those stronger than her wouldn't give up and could keep fighting until they had saved the day and returned back home._

_All of them._

* * *

**Location:** Treasure Planet - Forest

Ryo had expected a lot of things when he learned they were heading somewhere called 'Treasure Planet'. He had been expecting danger, Heartless, and definitely some treasure.

But a forest of all things? Probably not that much.

As he and Jim marched through the forest, with Morph flying around happily beside them, Ryo decided that he liked the warmer temperatures of the Islands more than this. Even the temperate Land of Departure was better than the humidity that was causing his shirt to stick to his skin and make his armor difficult to move in.

He could almost hear Marta teasing him, telling him he needed to work on his temperature adjustment before she fell asleep all over again. He missed her smile…

_No, stop it. You have a_ mission _. Focus on that. Mourn later._

With that thought firmly in mind, Ryo squared his shoulders and continued walking.

Until he heard a rustling in the leaves around them. Quickly, Jim shushed both Morph and Ryo as he looked around, taking out his laser gun in preparation. Instantly, Ryo felt his hackles raise and he brought his hand up in preparation to summon his Keyblade, should it be necessary. After all, he and Jim may be close in age, but it had been obvious that Ryo had much more battle experience than his fellow cabin boy did, if not by much. If it came down to it, Ryo would defend Jim with everything he had.

Suddenly, however, Jim and another voice screamed as the boy fell away from the bush he had been investigating, only to reveal a _robot_ on top of him,

"Jim!" Ryo shouted, running forward and summoning Starlight to hit the robot, to get it _away_ , when-

"Oh, this is fantastic! A carbon-based life form come to rescue me at last!" The robot cried joyfully as Jim pushed himself back up to his feet, looking more annoyed than harmed, thankfully. "I just want to hug you and squeeze you and hold you close to me!" As the robot spoke, he (its voice sounded male, at least) did exactly as he said, hugging, squeezing and holding onto Jim.

Even as Jim tried to push the robot off, he jumped back onto him. The scene was so ridiculous, Ryo couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. Jim glared at him, though Ryo was pretty sure he caught a glimpse of relief in those eyes when their eyes met.

In any case, this had probably gone on long enough. Banishing Starlight, Ryo stepped forward.

"Come on, let's g-get off." Ryo said, grabbing the robot and pulling him away from Jim.

"Seriously, would you just let go of me?" Jim huffed, exasperated.

"Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry!" The robot apologized as he let go of Jim...only to wrap one around _each_ boy's shoulders, pulling them close. "It's just, I've been marooned for so long. I mean, solitude's fine, don't get me wrong. But for heaven's sake, after a hundred years…" Suddenly, the robot's eyes were wide and his voice became a shriek. "You go a little nuts!"

The robot chuckled as he looked from Jim to Ryo, only to see both giving him looks that clearly said 'let go.'

"I'm sorry. Am I…I am, uh…my name is, uh…" The robot struggled to remember his name.

From his place on Jim's shoulder, Morph transformed into the robot and opened his head to reveal a cuckoo bird that went off. Ryo shook his head in amusement at the sight as Jim patted Morph's head, causing him to shift back.

"B.E.N!" The robot suddenly cried. "Of course, I'm B.E.N! Bioelectric Navigator." As he spoke, B.E.N tapped his chest only for it to open and he had to close it. "Oops. And you are?"

"Jim, that's Ryo." Jim answered as he tried to bend over to pick up the laser gun he must've dropped when B.E.N jumped out.

"Oh, what a pleasure to meet you, Jimmy!" B.E.N grinned as he shook Jim's reached out hand. "You as well, Ry!"

"Uh, y-you too, B.E.N" Ryo tried to smile, feeling strange. He knew of Tron, of course, but... B.E.N was an entirely different kind of animal, er, robot.

"It's Jim." Jim corrected as he bent down again and grabbed the gun only for B.E.N to lean on his back, forcing him to push the robot off as he stood up. "Look, we're kinda in a hurry, okay?"

"We should probably get moving." Ryo said. "We need to find a place to hide before those pirates find us."

"Oh, pirates! Don't get me started on pirates!" B.E.N began to rant as Jim motioned they keep moving. Ryo nodded in agreement. "I don't like them! I remember Captain Flint. This guy had such a temper-"

At those words, Jim froze and walked back to the robot.

"Wait, wait, wait. You knew Captain Flint?" The boy asked.

"I think he suffered from mood swings, personally." B.E.N said as he sat down on a rock and leaned back, as if to relax.

The posture was a familiar one, one Ryo felt as if he had seen a hundred times already, despite having only come to the Land of Departure a short time ago.

It was a posture Marta often took when she wasn't required for training, but she didn't feel like leaving yet. So instead, she'd find some place to sit and she'd sit in the same exact way, simply watching, occasionally falling asleep…

_"You can do it, Ryo! Just bend your knees a little more!"_

_"Maia, don't tease hi-aah, aaaaaahhhhhhhh..."_

_"M-Ms. Marta!"_

_"Hmmm~? Don't you...worry 'bout...me…"_

_"Hey, what's with the long face, hmmm? I've done this a hundred times before, I'll be just fine!"_

_"Ryo~! Aren't you excited? It's your first official mission!"_

_"Haa...haa...aaah! Mahir! Don't pull my hair!"_

_"Here, do it like this, Ryo!"_

_"Come on, spar with me! I can't sleep_ now _!"_

Ryo felt his eyes burn with tears, a lump forming in his throat unbidden. Suddenly, he desperately wished Marta was at his side, teasing words or a yawn on her lips. She'd know how to do this so much better than Ryo did...she should be here, not him.

No! He couldn't think like that!

He could practically see Marta's spirit bending over at her waist to glare at him, her lips pouting and ruining the fearsome image she otherwise would've made.

_"Don't blame yourself, Ryo. You still have a job, so let's finish it, yeah? We can do this together, I just know it!"_

_Yeah...we could, but can I?_ Ryo thought to himself. _I...already failed you. I don't want to fail Ms. Lia or the others either…_

_"Thinking like that is the first step to failing, so shush! Come on, it's not over until it's over! Keep fighting!"_

_I'll try...I-I have to try...for Ms. Marta…_

_"That's the spirit!"_

Ryo wanted to cry.

"Ryo?"

Jim's voice cut through the fog.

"Come on, we're gonna hide out at B.E.N's. We gotta let the captain, Delbert and the others know so we can move the captain and Lia there." The boy explained.

"Right, right." Ryo nodded, resting a hand on his neck to stretch it before he sighed. "Let's go."

With those words, they made their way further into the forest towards B.E.N's house, intent on finding safety for their friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wolfie: And there we go, moving right along! For the record, Lia and Ryo's reactions to Marta's death are based on real grief that I have both experienced and seen in real life. It's a huge, complicated feeling and takes a long time to process, thus their reactions in this chapter. Also, fans of the old DD should recognize the last scene: it was in the original's final chapter before this story came to be! All I did was clean it up slightly, take Marta out and there we have it! Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter! We'll be back by the end of November to hopefully finish up a lot of plotlines, cause the end is in sight, folks. Goal is now to finish this fic by Christmas, let's see if we can do it! May your heart be your guiding key!


	13. From the Shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Legacy: Guys! I'm excited to announce that we're almost at the end of this first book. I can see our first milestone and I'm so excited for you guys to read what we have in store for this chapter. If you guys thought the action and the drama was good last chapter, you guys are in for a treat this time around. I noticed that some of you guys sided with Xion during her conversation with Kairi, which honestly surprised us. That's the beauty of having an opinion. Some people might agree more with Kairi while others might agree more with Xion. Also, I'd like to apologize to Time-Space lord Eon for not showing much of Eric last chapter. I know you said you still liked it, but I think this one chapter will bring you even more joy.
> 
> Wolfie: I have to agree, this chapter is one I'm probably most proud of so far. Of course, we haven't finished the next chapter yet, which...I'm not gonna say more about. Alright, now everyone enjoy before I spoil it all!

**Chapter 11: From the Shadows**

* * *

**Location:** Treasure Planet - Forest

Lia shifted with a small groan, slowly taking in her surroundings. She was laying against a...rock, she was pretty sure, and her head hurt, but nothing else seemed too out of sorts. With a care for the possibility of light shining in her eyes, she opened them.

Blinking a couple times, her eyes widened as they rested on Tifa, who was watching over her and smiling in relief.

"Oh, thank goodness. You're awake." The dark haired woman smiled. "I was starting to think I hit you too hard."

"Ms. Lia!" Ryo cried, suddenly kneeling over her as well, looking close to tears.

"Where are we…?" Lia asked, clearing her throat when it came out somewhat hoarse, gently pushing herself up. Looking around, she could see that they were in a...cave of some sort, with Dr. Doppler and Captain Amelia next to the three of them, some kind of robot in the back, seemingly cleaning up, and Jim and Morph near the cave entrance.

"We're at this robot, B.E.N's, home to hide from t-the pirates." Ryo explained.

"I see…" Lia nodded.

"Are you okay, Lia? You've been out for a while." Tifa commented, gently running her fingers through Lia's hair, a motherly gesture that made the ninja want to lean into the touch, but she didn't.

"I'm fine, just...had a dream." She admitted aloud instead. "More like a memory."

"A-a good one, I hope?" Ryo smiled hopefully, but oh, Lia could see the cracks he was trying so desperately to hide, cracks she desperately wished never existed in the first place.

 _It's all my fault...none of this should have ever happened, and it wouldn't have if I had been_ stronger, better! Lia thought to herself, biting her lip and grateful for the cowl she wore, which hid her expression. "More bittersweet than anything." She said aloud as she pushed herself to her feet, ignoring both Tifa and Ryo's offers for help and made her way over to the entrance where Jim stood.

As she scanned their surroundings, Lia's eyes paused as she saw a figure standing a small distance away from where they were hiding out. A woman, who had sandy blonde hair that caught in the sunlight _just_ right to make her noticeable.

"Hey, look! There's some more of your buddies!" B.E.N suddenly said while looking out a window before he began to yell, waving his arms over his head as he did so. "Hey, fellas! We're over here, fellas!"

"Oh for Crystal's sake!" Lia cursed as she quickly grasped Ryo's arm and pulled him down to the floor, shielding his body with her own as, of course, the pirates opened fire on them. She could hear the sounds of returning fire, probably from Jim, but she didn't dare move an inch, not until she heard a familiar voice.

"Hello up there!" Silver called out. Slowly, carefully, Lia slid herself off of Ryo, making sure to keep a hand on his shoulder so the boy stayed down. Tifa was kneeling down beside them, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. Jim stayed near the entrance, crouched down with his laser gun in hand, ready to start firing at a moment's notice. "Jimbo? If, uh, it's alright with the captain, I'd like a short word with ya. No tricks, just a little palaver."

"Come to bargain for the map, doubtless." Captain Amelia scoffed through the pain she was no doubt in. "Pestiliental...ugh!" She groaned in pain as she tried to stand.

"Captain…" Dr. Doppler said warningly.

"That means...that he thinks we still have it." Jim grinned, as he looked over at the rest of the group.

"This...this could work." Lia gasped, her eyes widening before they narrowed again. "But only if we play our cards right. Are you sure you can do this, Jim?"

"Yeah...besides, I know Silver best and he asked for me." Jim then scoffed. "Probably thinks I'm the easiest one to manipulate and over power."

"Well, then it's a good thing he's wrong." Ryo insisted, his eyes narrowed in determination. He turned to Lia then, eyes clear and filled with faith. "Jim can do it, Ms. Lia. Please let him."

Lia took a deep breath and sighed, sharing a look with Tifa.

"I have an idea." Tifa smiled, reaching into a pocket and pulling out what looked like a materia. "This is a new kind of materia Cid made before I left. If you press your thumb into it, it'll react by touch and set off a flare. Just in case this all goes wrong, take it and we'll come running if we see it."

"Alright." Jim nodded, accepting the materia. For a moment, he looked it over, seemingly in awe of the item that he had never used nor seen before in his life. Then he looked up and met Lia's eyes with determined eyes of his own. "Let me do this. I could barely help last time, so let me do something now. Please."

"Alright." Lia nodded. "But if you feel like you're in danger, even for a second, use that materia. I'm not letting anyone else die on this mission."

"Agreed." Jim nodded, tucking the materia into his pocket before he stood up and began to make his way out of B.E.N's home to meet Silver.

_I hope I don't regret this...dear Eidolons, please don't let me regret this…_

Lia watched the conversation between Jim and Silver with her arms crossed over her chest. She bit her lip in frustration because she was out of earshot to hear what they were saying.

Thankfully, Jim came back in one piece with Morph at his side and he came with the good news that Silver really did think that they had the map. Unfortunately, they did not and Silver stood in their way of getting it. To make matters worse, Amelia's condition was worsening as the sun set and... _something_ had Lia on edge.

Unable to stand still, Lia made her way to the window that served as B.E.N's only way into his home and stared down at the forest that made up Treasure Planet. As she overlooked the forest, her eyes tracked where Silver and his pirates had made camp, only obvious by the light of their campfire. There was something...off about this whole thing, and she didn't like it one bit.

She turned her head as Jim collapsed at the window beside her and gently kicked his leg.

"Don't look so down. Times like these are when delinquents, rebels and ninjas are supposed to get crafty and escape." Lia said, trying to keep her voice light.

"How? Without the map, we're dead. If we try to leave, we're dead. If we stay here-" Jim said, doubtlessly feeling the strain of the situation on his shoulders.

"We're dead! We're dead, we're dead, we're dead!" Morph cheerfully repeated.

Lia's heart ached as she looked from them to Ryo, who stepped up beside them. They were too young for this, both of them. Now the weight of death and responsibility of life rested on their shoulders and they should have _never_ had to feel such a weight. Just the sight of the shadows in the boys' eyes made her want to destroy the concept of child soldiers.

"There has to be _something_ , for Kingdom Hearts' sake." Ryo growled as he leaned against the wall.

"Are we sure this is the only entrance though?" Tifa proposed suddenly.

"Well, I think that-that Jimmy could use a little quiet time, so I'll just slip out the back door." B.E.N awkwardly said to Morph as he slowly backed away.

"Wait, what?" Ryo cried, shooting up.

"Back door?" Jim repeated, his head whipping around. Both boys watched as B.E.N pushed on some kind of dome shaped contraption.

"Oh yeah, I get this delightful breeze through here." B.E.N explained as he pushed, Jim and Ryo running over to pull on the contraption to help. "Which I think is important because ventilation among friends-"

"What is all this stuff?" Jim cut the robot off, awe in his voice. Curious, Lia shared a look with Tifa as the two of them went to join the boys.

What she saw was certainly awe inducing. There was a system under the planet made of metal, which could easily allow them to traverse all of Treasure Planet...if it went that far.

"Holy Crystals…" Lia gasped.

"You mean the miles and miles of machinery that course under this planet?" B.E.N asked. And, well, that answered Lia's question. "Not a clue!"

"Hey, Doc, Doc, I think I found a way out of here!" Jim cried as he and Ryo shared a look and began to climb on top of the contraption.

"No, no, Jim, Ryo, wait! The captain ordered us to stay together-" Dr. Doppler began to correct when.

"Then we'll go on ahead and come back!" Ryo cried. Without another word, the two boys, Morph and B.E.N (with a yell of 'cannonball!') jumped down into the planet's core.

Or rather, Ryo _tried_ to go, but Lia shot forward with a flash step and caught him before he could.

"No way, you've been stretching yourself too thin. You stay here and protect the captain and Dr. Doppler, Tifa and I will keep Jim out of trouble." Lia instructed as she pushed the boy back towards the dog staring at them and the unconscious cat.

"But-" Ryo started to protest.

"Don't worry so much, we'll be okay." Tifa smiled as she straightened her gloves. "And we'll be back before you know it, too!"

With a reluctant nod of agreement from Ryo, Lia turned and took a deep breath before she jumped down into the core of Treasure Planet, Tifa right behind her.

She really, _really_ hoped she didn't regret leaving Ryo on his own...she just did _not_ like this mission anymore, at all.

* * *

 **Location:** Midnight City - Rose Castle - Guest Room

Xion had tried to fall asleep but found that to be more difficult than her encounter with the Heartless in the city. After Kairi had left her on that rooftop, Roxas and Eric arrived and the three of them did a quick sweep of the nearby buildings before returning to Rose Castle. Roxas had asked her where Kairi went and Xion explained that the redhead felt that they were spending too much time in Midnight City instead of searching for Sora before storming off. She did not, however, mention her final words to Kairi.

There was a knock at the door. Xion remained silent in the guest bed, hoping the person would leave. She let out a subtle involuntary sigh through her nose when the knob twisted and the door opened. Pretending to be asleep would have worked on most people, but not on Roxas.

The blonde entered and said, "Well, she won't open her door either. She locked it but I didn't feel right unlocking it."

Without turning around to face him, Xion asked, "But you thought it was right to unlock mine?"

"I'm serious, Xion. I'm worried about her."

Xion sat up in her bed and said, "Of course you are."

Roxas quirked an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "What do you mean?"

"Roxas, I'm not blind. You have feelings for Kairi."

His eyes widened in astonishment of her bold claim. "W-what are you talking about?"

"Roxas, are you forgetting that we used to date? The way you look at Kairi...you used to look at me that way. That is...until you realized that I'm _not_ Kairi. It's the same reason Riku and Naminé broke up. I don't know if it's the part of you that came from Sora, but I know that what you want is to be with Kairi. It took me a long time to be okay with that, but I am now. I'm happy that I started seeing Ienzo. When he looks at me, he sees _me_. But, you and Riku, you two only kept looking for Kairi. I don't if Riku learned his lesson from his failed relationship, but I can see that you haven't."

Roxas stood there in silence, letting Xion pour out her evaluation. When she finally finished, she looked at him expectantly. He wasn't saying anything and it made her more anxious by the second.

"Nothing? You don't have anything to say?"

"What is there to say, Xion? I'm sorry that things didn't work out between us."

"This isn't about us, Roxas. This is about you and your feelings for Kairi. Like I said, I moved on. I think it's time you move on from her. You know she's been with Sora for a decade now. Sure, they haven't gotten married yet, but I'm not surprised. You know how hard it was for Sora to deal with the loss of his apprentice."

Roxas shook his head and said, "Look, it doesn't matter what I feel for her. All that matters is that we get Sora back. He's-"

"Excuse me." Roxas was cut short by Hibiki, causing him and Xion to look at the doorway where the dark-eyed man stood. His face had the same calm demeanor it always did, which did not help to prepare the two Keyblade wielders for the news he brought with him. "I beg your pardon for interrupting a rather intimate conversation-"

Xion yelled, "Wait, how much of that did you-?!"

Hibiki paid no mind as he continued, "But the king and queen have requested your immediate help with a particularly powerful Heartless."

"Another one?" Roxas asked.

Hibiki tilted his head. He seemed confused. "Based on the description Lady Xion provided, I was under the impression that you two knew its kind."

"I never got a good look at it."

Hibiki turned to Xion. "You mentioned a set of chains that wrapped around its face. After doing a rather brief investigation in the castle archives, I found some old Organization XIII records detailing a creature similar to the one you faced. One of the previous members, Xaldin, manifested one in the homeworld a previous Princesses of Heart - a Shadow Stalker."

Roxas and Xion gave each other a glance, both unfamiliar with that species of Heartless. Hibiki took notice of this and continued to explain, "When a Possessor Heartless amasses enough strength, it can solidify its body from a gaseous state and may often take pieces of the objects it has possessed. This typically takes the form of chains as they often get tangled in them. However, the chains begin to act as a sort of compressor for their power, holding the Shadow Stalker in that spherical shape until-"

Roxas finished his statement, "Until the chain breaks…"

Xion looked from Roxas to Hibiki, stood up, and left. Or rather, she would have had Hibiki not gotten in her way further down the hall.

"What are you doing?!" she snapped.

Hibiki's face remained expressionless as he explained, "I should advise you against running off. Master Lauriam and Lady Elrena will be departing from the grand hall shortly to join the fight. They entrusted me with the task of summoning you two to aid them on this mission."

Xion looked annoyed but she understood. She simply nodded, then turned to Roxas and said, "We shouldn't keep them waiting."

"Right." He looked from Xion to Hibiki and said, "I assume you won't be coming with us."

"I'm afraid you are correct. I am to stay here with Lady Zia and Lady Strelitzia to ensure that no harm comes to them should things not go smoothly in the city."

Xion's eyes widened. "Lauriam is that worried about this Heartless?"

"It is one that we have never encountered before and the damage it has done in the city thus far is greater than anything we've seen. A handful of Reapers are already in the city, trying to minimize the damages. Once again, you should hurry to the master. Time is of the essence."

"Right," the bounty hunters said in unison.

They had begun walking toward the grand hall when Roxas stopped and turned to Hibiki. The ninja looked back at him as if to ask, "Can I do something else for you?"

"Hey, Hibiki, once last thing? Could you keep an eye on Kairi? She hasn't come out of her room since the last mission and I just want to make sure that she's okay."

Hibiki nodded. "I will check in on her from time-to-time."

"Thank you," he said with a soft smile.

Roxas turned around and made his way to the grand hall with Xion while Hibiki went the other way to return to the princess of Rose Castle. As the two men disappeared from the hallway, Lauriam's younger sister peered her head from around a corner. She prepared to follow Roxas and Xion, but was startled when she heard Hibiki's voice behind her.

"Hello, young lady. Is there something I can help you with?"

The redhead squealed with fright and stumbled forward, tripping over herself onto the ground. When Strelitzia looked up, she found Hibiki offering a hand to her, which she took politely. As he brought the girl to her feet, he asked, "Lady Strelitzia, I was under the impression that you were with your niece."

She avoided eye contact. "I-I was, but when Elder Brother and Elrena left, they seemed worried."

An empty smile appeared on Hibiki's lips as he said, "M'lady, you need not concern yourself with conflict. Your brother and her grace will handle these affairs and return to the castle." Despite his effort to bring Strelitzia's mind to ease, he could tell that worries still plagued her. She grabbed her own arm and continued to avoid eye contact. Something was bothering her. "Is there something wrong?"

Strelitzia had not realized that she was lost in her own thoughts. She shuttered at his words and struggled to explain. "W-well I, um...I was just…"

Hibiki placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "Lady Strelitzia, you may confide in me. Please remember that."

The girl swallowed and nodded to her caretaker. "Y-yes...I was just thinking how I...I wish I could help. I wish Elder Brother would-"

"Bequeath you with a Keyblade?"

Seeing Strelitzia flinch, Hibiki immediately apologized, "I beg your pardon, M'lady. I spoke out of term."

"N-no...I...you're right. I do wish I could be a wielder as well. Elder Brother and Elrena and Mr. Roxas and Ms. Xion and Ms. Kairi...t-they're all just so amazing. I wish I could be as brave as them." She continued to squeeze her arm.

"You are brave, Lady Strelitzia."

Her eyes widened as Hibiki spoke her words. With a furrowed face, she asked, "H-how?"

"It takes a lot of bravery to hope. Do you not hope for our success?"

"W-well yes…"

"Then I believe you are brave and you'll need to be brave for Lady Zia. She needs us both now, but you are much more important as a carrier of hope than I am."

Strelitzia felt the irresistible urge to smile as her eyes began to water because of Hibiki's kind words. She wiped her tears with the sleeve of her white blouse and nodded. Looking up at the former Nobody, Strelitzia told him, "Yeah!" She stepped ahead of him and said, "Come on! We need to go with her!"

Hibiki gave a genuine smile. "I'll be right along. First, I must make sure Lady Xion does not get too far. If you'll excuse me, I will redirect her to the grand hall." Strelitzia smiled and nodded before leaving the ninja to disappear with a flash step.

* * *

 **Location:** Treasure Planet - B.E.N.'s House

Ryo wasn't nervous for himself, but he _was_ nervous for Jim, Lia, Tifa, Morph and B.E.N. Who knew if the _Legacy_ was even abandoned, Ryo highly doubted it was. From what little strategy training he had been given, he knew that abandoning an important base of operations was the last thing you were supposed to do.

So, yeah, he had no doubt that the five going after the map would face some resistance, and probably not an easy one at that. Silver was too smart to leave some idiot behind to watch the ship in case they were able to attempt a hijacking of the _Legacy_.

Which...yeah, Ryo was pretty sure Scroop was up there. Ugh, he hoped they were okay!

Dr. Doppler was rambling, trying to reassure himself and Ryo at the same time, to not much success, when Ryo heard it.

"Dr. Doppler, shh." Ryo whispered, quickly summoning Starlight as he stared at the one entrance he was _sure_ the pirates knew of.

However, instead of a pirate, an unfamiliar figure appeared instead.

The figure had long silver hair and wore an outfit made entirely of black leather. Ryo didn't recognize him, but something about him just...put the boy on edge.

"Who are you?" Ryo demanded, putting every ounce of authority that he could muster into his voice, despite there not being much of it. Maia probably would have laughed if she saw him, Marta too. His heart ached at the thought, but he pushed it aside. He had to keep the doctor and Captain Amelia safe.

"Ah, so my assumption was correct after all. How dull." The man sighed, entirely calm despite facing an unknown Keyblade wielder. Or, at least, Ryo hoped he was unknown. "Hm, I suppose I can just hold up my end of the bargain, otherwise there's no point to this deal Mother pushed onto us."

"Mother? What're you talking about? Who are you?" Ryo called out, making sure he stood before Dr. Doppler and Captain Amelia to protect them.

"Oh, you can call me Yazoo, but that's not important." The man, Yazoo, waved flippantly. Suddenly, Heartless unlike any Ryo had ever seen before formed beside him and a sadistic smile crossed Yazoo's face. "What _is_ important, is that you're all coming with me, thanks to these pet Dark Howlers of mine."

The Heartless charged and before Ryo knew it, they were a swarm around him.

He didn't freak out, though. Instead, Ryo focused everything he had into remaining calm and slicing through the Dark Howlers as quickly and efficiently as he could.

His master was Ventus, after all, and speed training was a part of his daily regiment.

So Ryo slashed through enemy after enemy, Heartless after Heartless, all with the sole focus of protecting those he was in charge of keeping safe. And he did everything he could to accomplish that goal. Everything.

But it didn't matter in the end, not when each Dark Howler slain was replaced with two more, as if the swarm were like the Hydra Sari had told Ryo about that originated on her home world.

Ryo did his best, but in the end, one good hit led to his world turning dark. The last thing he heard was Dr. Doppler yelling his name.

* * *

 **Location:** Midnight City - Dark City

Roxas and Xion had found Lauriam and Elrena in the grand hall along with Eric, Shandanee, Ravi, and one of Elrena's Ninja bodyguards, Layla.

Unlike Elrena, who wore a simple navy blue gi, Layla's was cropped to reveal her flat, toned midriff. Her dark hair was held back into a loose bun to keep it out of her face for combat, save for the lonely strand of wavy hair that fell down the side of her face. She also kept a thin golden sash looped through her inner elbows and behind her back.

As the fastest of the group, Layla and Elrena were the two positioned at the forefront of the formation, so they were rightfully the first to see the damage done to the city with their own eyes. It was worse than what they imagined.

The towering buildings in the Dark City were mostly damaged, riddled with cracked and scarred facades. Some had pieces broken off while others had completely crumbled to the ground. Lauriam's cloaked Reapers were littered throughout the area, both of the humanoid and empty-shell variety. The more humanoid ones ushered civilians out of the buildings while those without faces and names fought to protect them from the usual Heartless that popped up in this world such as the Neo Shadows.

The stronger Heartless such as the Invisibles were a much larger threat to them. Layla caught one flying straight toward a Reaper and the civilians that it was trying to protect. She flashed by, burying a set of knives into its arm to catch its attention before stopping right underneath it. Layla crouched down and planted her hands on the ground to push herself up and deliver a solid kick to its chin, forcing it to spin backward middair.

Roxas followed up Layla's attack with one of his own, momentarily taking Oathkeeper from Xion to deliver a critical cross slash. The Invisible faded from existence, giving the civilians an opportunity to flee with a Reaper. After returning Oathkeeper to Xion, Roxas returned to his part of the formation, and so did Layla. The group continued their advance through the magenta forest, doing what they could to save the people of Midnight City and combat the number of enemies.

"I don't like this...not one bit." Layla muttered under her breath as they passed her fellow Nobodies and the civilians.

"Me either, but the sooner we finish this, the better it'll be for everyone." Elrena stated as she ran alongside her Ninja, Roxas right behind them.

While running alongside Xion, Lauriam asked, "Could you show us where you and Kairi fought the Shadow Stalker?"

"Yeah. I can go ahead with Elrena and Layla if you'd like me to."

Lauriam nodded and allowed her to move forward in the formation while he hung back with Roxas. As the party made their way through the city, they noticed that the lighting had begun to dim. Less street lamps were lit because many of them had been destroyed and a lot of the buildings had been toppled.

Roxas, Xion, Lauriam, and Elrena all summoned their Keyblades and used them as a light source. Even still, it did little to help them see past a few feet in front of them. This posed a major problem for two members of their party: Ravi and Shandanee.

The darker that their surroundings became, the more Ravi began to fidget, particularly her eyes. They flickered wildly in search of something hiding in the shadows. This became especially bad when she noticed her sister too, began to show signs of anxiety, though the cause was different. Shandanee too began searching for something, but that's because she _felt_ like she was being watched.

Eric took note of their rattled condition and approached them cautiously. "Hey, are you guys holding up okay?"

"Yeah…" Despite saying she was fine, Ravi could not look at Eric. Instead, she just kept searching and that's when she saw something she wished she hadn't. Her body froze and refused to listen to her mind, which scream, "Move!"

"Ravi?"

Lauriam turned around to see a pair of crimson eyes peering through the darkness. "It's here!" He announced.

A rolling cyclone of red claws flew across the air, straight for the twins. While Ravi was paralyzed by fear, Shandanee was still able to react. She ran to grab her sister and move out of the way, but she was not fast enough. The Heartless approached at an alarming rate and did not give her enough time to evade. All she could do was hold her sister tight and close her eyes. Soon, she would be sliced to ribbons by the whirling claws. That never came, though.

When Shandanee opened her eyes, she found that Eric had stood between the twins and the beast, holding it back with his bare hands. This was possible because Eric had transformed from his base state into one that changed his physical appearance completely. He now resembled a winged gorilla and stood at least a foot taller than he did before. His hands had turned to a grayish, stony color with golden cracks spread throughout. He displayed a great level of strength as he held the rolling beast at bay.

"Y-your Noise Form!" Shandanee yelled.

"I won't let you two or anyone else get hurt!"

Eric was gritting his teeth, putting every ounce of strength he could muster into holding the Heartless back. Sparks flew from the intense friction, which undoubtedly hurt the young Reaper, but he showed unwavering resilience.

Lauriam and Elrena shared a look before charging forward. Elrena's Keyblade, Ominous Blight, glowed and broke apart into a set of knives, which she infused with electricity and threw them forward, but they were all deflected by the sheer velocity of the creature's rotation. When that failed, Lauriam used the Heartless' own strategy, as his own Divine Rose glowed and morphed into a scythe. He levitated himself into the air with his scythe spinning around him before taking hold of it and hurling himself forward bladefirst. He struck the beast from behind, creating a second flash of sparks from their opposing rotational directions, which helped to slow it down.

Elrena and Layla then each went for either Ravi or Shandanee and whisked them away to keep them out of immediate danger. Unable to hold the Heartless back for much longer, Eric was knocked aside as the beast blitzed past him, stopping just out of sight within the shadows. Lauriam came to a stop himself beside Eric when he checked on, the now colossal, Reaper.

"Eric, are you okay?"

The gorilla-like Reaper slowly rose to his feet and gave his superior a nod. "Yes, my lord. Please forgive me. I failed."

Lauriam shook his head. "Not yet. We're still in this fight. I need you up and ready to act. I think it's preparing another attack."

He was right. First came the thunderous sound of its footsteps beating against the ground. It was running toward them, creating pillars of fiery energy with each step. This was a mistake on its part, however, because it was unknowingly giving away its location.

Xion took advantage of this by transforming Oathkeeper into a weapon that would be of better use to her. She held her Keyblade out in front of her vertically and it began to glow. It's different parts began moving. The wings that made up the hand guard broke off and began spinning around Xion, growing larger as time passed by. They soon came back together, overtaking the hollow blade while the teeth of the Keyblade sat atop them flared out like, giving her weapon an axe-like appearance.

From the little bit of light that dimly illuminated the area, Roxas and the others could see that the raven-haired woman's clothes had gained a deep red color. She charged forward with her weapon held behind her head. With a powerful swing, she slammed the claymore into the Heartless, swatting it away with an explosion of blue flames. The brief flash of light allowed them to see that it was a very large Heartless with a mane consisting of magenta tendrils that stood on all fours.

A loud crashing sound signaled that it had touched down to the ground, most likely on its side. The others could not see the beast until Xion began charging forward again, this time generating light by beating her claymore against the ground to create small shockwaves of blue flames around herself. As she neared the Heartless, Xion wound up for another critical hit, but was surprised to find that she swung at the air. The creature had shifted itself to the side, leaving red, green, and purple after images behind it. With a powerful claw swipe, Xion was knocked into a nearby building, letting loose a pained whine.

"Xion!"

Roxas started running to his partner, keeping an eye out for the Heartless in case it decided to strike. When he reached Xion, he knelt down beside her and shook her away.

"Xion! Xion!"

The raven-haired woman slowly opened her eyes. It was difficult for her to focus with the pounding headache she received from her rough landing.

"What happened?" she asked in a daze.

Roxas let out a sigh of relief. "You took a big hit. Come on, we've got to get you out of here." He grabbed her by the wrist, but she slipped away from his grasp.

"Roxas, I'm not going anywhere. Like I told Kairi, we've stayed this long to help Lauriam and Elrena and that's exactly what I'm doing."

"Don't you get it?!"

Xion flinched.

"Xion…" He shook his head, not knowing what to say, but he spoke anyway. "You...you've got to learn when a fight isn't worth fighting."

Xion looked at the blonde with utter disgust. "Are you kidding me?!"

"Look around you! Really take a look around you. Midnight City is a hazardous world to live in. It always has been. Lauriam and Elrena...they saw a world that could be rehabilitated, just like Hollow Bastion was restored to Radiant Garden, but over the course of the eight years since they came back to this world, they've barely made any progress pushing the Heartless back. Things have only gotten worse recently and you know that. The stronger Heartless, the shortage of materia, Sora disappearing...it's all connected. There's something bigger going on. Something that isn't just affecting this world. I know that our friends live here...but if we focus all of our time, all of our attention, and all of our energy here, we might not have enough for the real fight."

"The real fight…"

Xion looked over to the flashing lights where their allies continued to hold their ground against the giant Heartless. For the moment, it was only Lauriam, Eric, and Layla. With her speed, the Ninja was able to evade the Heartless' movements, twirling away as it charged forward and flipping over its claw strikes. Whenever given the opportunity, Lauriam would strike with his scythe, but the beast's hide was very rough. Eric was much slower in his Noise form, so he had to rely on his ability to defend against the Heartless' devastating attacks.

Elrena, Ravi, and Shandanee were out of sight. Perhaps she had been keeping them out of the fight because of how they froze up. That meant they were three heads down. Xion slowly picked herself up, using her claymore for support.

"Xion…"

"One last fight, Roxas. We take this thing down, and then we get out of here."

Roxas' eyes trailed up as Xion rose. She had a determined look on her face as she stared ahead at the conflict in front of them. The blonde stood up beside her and held a fist out to her. She bawled her hand up and pressed her fist against his, turning to look at him as she did. Roxas looked back and nodded.

Layla had continued to frolic around the battlefield, holding the monster's attention while Lauriam attempted to cut through its thick exterior, to no avail. Roxas held Two Become One out and enhanced it with a glowing white aura. He then jumped up in time for Xion to spin around and land on her claymore. Harvesting the power of the moon, Xion began to glow with a fiery blue energy around her. She launched Roxas forward, allowing him to close the distance between himself and the beast. Much like Lauriam's attempts, Roxas found it difficult to inflict wounds on the Heartless.

After a flurry of slashes, Roxas jumped off of the creature's back. "It's got a tough hide," he said as he landed beside Lauriam.

"I suppose that would be a good thing to call it. A Dark Hide. I wouldn't take it that you've seen one of these before."

"No, this is the first time. I think this might be the strongest Heartless Xion and I have come across in a long time."

"Stronger Heartless do tend to spawn here…" Lauriam mused.

"Well, that's just our luck, isn't it, my king?" Layla drawled, rhetorically.

Lauriam was deep in thought for only a moment before looking forward at the Dark Hide in time to see Xion charge forward with her claymore. Eric had managed to secure a good grip of its tail, keeping it in place for Xion to smash her claymore against its side, forcing it off the ground. Eric held on tight, going into the air with the Heartless, but he slammed it down onto its back.

Eric called to Lauriam, "My king! The underside!"

Roxas sprang up with a flip and extended his hand toward Lauriam. "This is your Kingdom. Fight for it!"

Lauriam nodded as he jumped forward, reaching out for Roxas. The two held onto each other until Roxas tossed Lauriam up. Layla then appeared in the air in front of Lauriam, offering him another boost by swinging him with her sash.

"Good luck, my king. Don't let us down now." She called up as she launched him higher, a grin in her voice.

The last person to meet him was Elrena, leaving a trail of electricity behind her. The knives in her hand had grown with electrical energy, appearing like claws. She and Lauriam smiled at one another as their hands met.

"Together," she said.

"Together," he repeated.

Elrena and Lauriam planted their feet against each other and the blonde kicked her husband down. He began rolling with his scythe aimed forward while Elrena began zipping around with a tail of lightning. When they touched down onto the Dark Hide's underside, a pool of metal liquid formed underneath it and multiple bolts of lightning struck down onto it. The ground beneath them cracked from the impact and a glorious flash of light filled the area. When the light disappeared, so did the Dark Hide.

Lauriam and Elrena looked at one another, both panting from overexertion. It had been quite some time since they had fought so hard against anything.

"I should go check on the twins," Elrena said between breaths.

"I can go instead, my queen, you worry about yourself and the king." Layla was quick to offer to go in her stead, which Elrena accepted. Eric had reverted to his normal form, just as exhausted as his king and queen, if not more.

"So Lauriam…" He turned to Xion. "What now?"

The king looked around at what was left of his kingdom. While the Dark Hide had been vanquished, there were other denizens of darkness, more than usual.

Elrena placed a hand on his shoulder and looked up at him. "We always said that if things got too out of hand here…"

Lauriam covered her hand with his and closed his eyes. He was hesitant to accept defeat, but ultimately gave a solemn nod. "The girls come first. But where will we go?"

Roxas reassured him, "You can always give Ansem a call. Otherwise, there's always the Land of Departure."

Lauriam nodded. "I suppose I should speak to our allies."

Layla returned with Ravi and Shandanee. Both of the twins were still a bit rattled despite the Dark Hide's defeat. Layla had a hand on each of their shoulders, her grip tight and grounding.

Lauriam turned to his subjects and said, "Find all the survivors that you can and get them back to Rose Castle."

"And then what, my king?" It was Ravi who had asked.

He closed his eyes and exhaled. "And then we depart this world. It's become completely inhospitable so close to the darkness. We will return here one day and rebuild, but for now, we will take the castle to another world...one where we have allies. Now go."

Ravi appeared contentious, but did not protest. She and the others said, "Yes, my king," before disappearing into the city in search of other Reapers.

* * *

 **Location:** Treasure Planet - RLS Legacy

B.E.N. had led Lia, Jim, Tifa, and Morph through a secret passage that led from his house out into the forest, right to Silver's campfire. Lia cast a Silence spell on the others and led them to a longboat that Jim pointed out to her. They took it up to the Legacy and climbed on board as quietly as possible. There was no one on the main deck, but they were cautious as they made their way to the stairs leading to the lower deck. Lia and Jim each peered around a corner to make sure no one was nearby.

"Where's the map?" Lia whispered to Jim.

He responded just as quietly, "In the hangar. B.E.N, we'll go get the map. Wait here."

Before Jim finished his statement, B.E.N. stood upright and saluted as he said, "Got it, Jimmy! I'll neutralize laser cannons, **sir**!" As he waved his hand, he swatted through Morph, but the little blob regenerated immediately. B.E.N. then leapt onto the corridor floor with his legs bent into a set of wheels, which he rolled on as he sang, "Yo ho! Yo ho! A pirate's life for me!"

The others looked at one another with looks of concern, but found that there was not much they could do because of how far B.E.N. had gotten. They did need him to disable the cannons, anyway. Tifa whispered to Lia and Jim, "I'll stay with him and keep him out of trouble."

Lia mouthed a "Thank you" as the older woman passed by her to follow after the robot. Lia then made her way with Jim and Morph to the hangar where the former cabin boy quickly retrieved the map from the ring of rope that it had fallen into earlier.

"Yes!" the two cheered.

Their celebrations were cut short by the blaring sound that rang through the ship's intercommunication system. By the time the noise had turned off, Lia and Jim had reached the stairs to the main deck.

In a hushed voice, Jim, began, "Stupid robot's gonna get us all..." he and Lia stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of Scroop standing at the top of the stairs. "...killed."

"Hello, cabin boy…" Scroop looked to Lia and said, "...good to see you're feeling well, girl."

Lia stepped forward between Jim and Scroop, summoning Kiku no Kizuna to defend the boy. "Scroop, we don't want any problems. We just want to get off the ship."

"I'll gladly throw you both overboard once you've handed over that map."

Lia's eyes narrowed and her grip tightened around her Keyblade's handle. "I'd like to see you try."

The insectoid took a step back, hesitant to accept the young woman's challenge. As Scroop moved back, he felt a gloved leather hand touch against his back, causing him to turn his head to the side to find a man he had never met before. It was Yazoo, the man with long silver hair. His calm, stoic expression unnerved Jim, Scroop, and even Lia.

Yazoo's sea green eyes locked on Lia. He tilted his head and said, "I've finally found you."

"Me?"

He ignored Lia's question as he continued, "Mother will be very pleased once I've brought you to her." His pale white hand reached for a gun at his hip and drew the firearm onto Jim.

Lia was quick to kick the boy to the side before Yazoo could pull the trigger. A hot bullet crashed through the floor behind where Jim once stood. The boy scrambled to his feet, Lia helping him by pulling him up by the collar of his shirt, and the two retreated back into the ship's network of corridors.

Yazoo looked at Scroop and told him, "Kill the boy and bring the girl back to me."

"Why should I listen to you?"

Yazoo gestured his hand to the side where a Corridor of Darkness opened and a pack of vicious Dark Howler heartless ran out from it, heading straight into the ship's lower deck in pursuit of Lia and Jim. It did not take long for the monsters to find their prey.

When Lia heard the Heartless' rapid footsteps, she turned around in time to find a Dark Howler lunging at them. She quickly spun and slashed through the creature before kicking off another one and hurling her Keyblade to saw through it. As she landed, Lia yelled to Jim, "Keep going, I'll deal with these monsters!"

"But-!"

"Go! I'll be fine. Find Tifa and B.E.N. and get back to the longboat. I'll meet you there!"

Jim nodded and fled into a corridor, leaving Lia to deal with the Dark Howlers. The Keyblade wielder prepared herself for the incoming pack. Her eyes darted from one to another, concentrating all of her attention on each of the enemies in front of her. Remembering what her master had taught her, Lia took a deep breath in and suddenly time seemed to slow down for her. _It's just as he said_. Energy pooled around her as she prepared to lunge forward with all her speed. She concentrated on the thought of protecting those around her. _Sonic…_

And she thought of...Marta.

Just as Lia prepared to push off with her right foot, a feeling of despair and rage clouded her mind, manifesting itself as a shadowy aura around her. _Shadow!_

She charged forward and suddenly stopped at the other end of the corridor. Eyes wide open, she couldn't believe how fast she moved. It took a few seconds before her mind could finally process the fact that she had just sliced through the entire horde of Dark Howlers in a fraction of a second. The dark aura around Lia began to fade, but so did her consciousness as she struggled to hold her balance.

Everything went dark, but Lia retained her awareness. In fact, her eyes were still open so it took her a moment to realize that she was still awake. The lights turned back on, but everything was red. Then, she found herself feeling completely weightless. _What's going on?!_

Only a few seconds had passed before Lia fell down to the floor. She was weak both physically and mentally so it helped that Tifa soon found her and supported her weight with her shoulder. The two soon met back up with Jim and B.E.N. Jim had defeated Scroop and sent him off into space and B.E.N. had successfully disabled the cannons. The party was now ready to return to Ryo and the others.

They soon returned to the tunnel that would lead them back to B.E.N.'s house. As soon as they entered it, Tifa had a feeling something was wrong. Something about the pirates they had to once again sneak by to even enter it felt...wrong, but she couldn't place her finger on what it was.

Instead, she focused on making sure Lia, Jim, B.E.N and Morph were all with her as they ran through the tunnels back to B.E.N's house to meet up with the rest of their group

Suddenly, however, Tifa noticed a figure in front of them and she frantically reached out to yank both Lia and Jim back. Instinctively, Jim reached out and grasped onto B.E.N as well, causing the robot to shriek in surprise.

"Whoaaaa!" B.E.N shouted as he got his bearings.

"Tifa…?" Lia whispered, catching on to how tense the monk no doubt was.

"Why are you stopping, we have to keep going!" Jim insisted. "We've got the map, so now we can-"

"Just stay still." Tifa cut him off as the figure began to walk towards them. His steps were slow and measured, as if he had all the time in the world. But that was exactly what had Tifa so on edge, even before she could make out his appearance.

Short, cropped silver hair. An entirely black leather outfit. And eyes...eyes she had never forgotten since the first time she ever laid her own eyes on them.

"Wanna play?" The man asked as he finally stopped a short distance away from them, reaching a hand out to Jim as if to beckon him like a child. Jim glared at the man, thankfully not saying a word.

"Actually, I- '' B.E.N started to say before Morph changed into a cartoonish gloved hand and slapped himself over the robot's mouth, muffling anything else he could or would say.

"I guess that's a no." The man said, retracting his hand and walking closer. "Now, you, come with me." The man pointed directly at Lia.

"What?" Lia gaped, obviously thrown for a loop, out of it as she was.

"Mother said to bring you back to her, so I will. So come." The man stated, as if Lia would listen just like that.

"She's not going with you!" Tifa cut in, her voice firm as she pushed herself in front of the ninja, just as she would for Marlene and Denzel if they were here instead. She didn't like this man, didn't trust him, not when he reminded her so much of-

"Fine. Play with me, then." The man smirked.

"You four get out of here." Tifa ordered, her eyes never leaving the man.

"What?!" Jim shouted. B.E.N tried to yell too, but Morph remained firmly planted over his mouth.

"Tifa...no…!" Lia gasped, trying to latch onto the monk's arm, to hold her in place.

"For whatever reason, he wants you. And something tells me he's not alone. You need to get as far away from him as possible. I know you don't want to abandon me because of Marta, but we can't afford losing you or the map." Tifa explained. "Besides...he reminds me of someone who tormented Cloud for years, meaning this is my fight and my fight alone."

All was silent for several minutes before Lia broke it.

"Fine. But...you better come back safe, you hear me?" The ninja ordered. "You aren't allowed to die on me, got it?"

"I understand." Tifa smiled softly before she placed Lia's hand in Jim's and pushed both of them forward. "Now go!"

Instantly, the two took off running, B.E.N bounding along behind them. Thankfully, the man didn't stop them, though that didn't bode well in Tifa's mind.

"Who are you, anyway?" Tifa demanded.

"The name's Loz. Now, let's play!" The man, Loz, grinned.

* * *

 **Location:** Treasure Planet - Tunnel

Lia had a horrible, horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach as Jim practically dragged her back to B.E.N's house, needing the robot's help eventually to do so as her body slowly gave out on her.

"Look, if you've got another one of those key-shaped swords, I'd _really_ like one, right about now!" Jim said as they ran and even in her haze and fear, Lia could hear the anticipation in the boy's voice.

"No, I don't, and I'm not giving you one either." Lia denied, glaring at the boy for even suggesting a thing. Keyblades weren't something to give willy-nilly. Hell, _she_ shouldn't have a Keyblade herself, for crying out loud! No way was she passing one onto Jim in a situation like _this_. Besides...that horrible feeling only seemed to increase the further they went, something even Jim seemed to understand as he remained quiet the rest of their run.

She didn't know what she expected to find when they got back, but she felt cold and scared and she didn't like it at all. Every part of her was _screaming_ at her to get away, but she couldn't, she couldn't abandon Jim, B.E.N, Morph, Ryo, Dr. Doppler and Captain Amelia. They needed her, so she forced her tired body to move even longer.

When they reached B.E.N's home, Jim ran over to the sleeping figure and called out "Doc! Doc, wake up! I got the map!"

And Lia found she wasn't surprised at all as a mechanical hand grabbed the map.

"Fine work, Jimbo." Silver smirked, his red cybernetic eye glowing maliciously. "Fine work, indeed."

Lia froze for a second before she turned, only to see the pirates had Captain Amelia, Dr. Doppler, and Ryo tied up and gagged, the former being unconscious and slowly coming to. And beside the pirates stood a man with long silver hair, wearing black leather.

Instantly, she knew what happened.

"You bast-!" Lia yelled, trying to summon Kiku no Kizuna, to force her already depleted body to _work_ so she could stop this, so she could save them all, get them out of here, but all that came was the faintest spark of darkness in her palm before alien arms wrapped around her, restraining her just as they restrained Jim and B.E.N. She could hear Morph squealing somewhere too, before she was stood up alongside Jim, facing Silver.

"You're just like me, Jimbo." The pirate mused. "Ya hates to lose. And you, lass, will earn me quite the pretty penny."

"Why, you-!" Lia snarled, every instinct in her body demanding she fight and fight and _fight until there was nothing left in her to fight with_.

"Oh, ya sure are a feisty one." Silver chuckled.

"Your money will depend on if she's the correct one, pirate." The silver haired man scoffed before he turned and fell to a knee as a Dark Corridor opened beside him. "Mother, your objective is here."

"Thank you, Yazoo. You are such a good boy." A woman's voice said as a figure stepped through the corridor.

Lia's eyes widened as they landed on a blonde woman, the same one she had spotted earlier that same day. The woman smiled as she approached Lia, as if she were trying to appear non-threatening when she had _apparently ordered a hit on Lia. How is that not going to be perceived as threatening?!_

"My, it has been such a long time. You've grown up so much, dear." The woman smiled as she looked over Lia.

"H-have we met?" Lia asked, cautious. She didn't recognize this woman, but...but there was something, almost a voice if it could be called that, screaming within her that this woman was dangerous, was terrifying, was not to be trusted no matter what. And the longer Lia stared at the woman, the more her blood felt as if it were turning to ice within her veins and a cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

She could almost _see_ the flames, getting closer and closer, too close, _too close, too close!_

"Of course, my dear Liana. I could never forget someone like you." The woman cooed, completely unaware of Lia's internal panic and fear. Or perhaps she was, and she simply reveled in the sight of it in Lia's half hidden features. "Now, why don't you be a good girl and come with me? We have much to do, after all."

Then the woman reached out with her right hand, as if to take Lia from her current captors.

"No, no, no! Don't touch me, get away, get away, _get away!_ " A primal fear forced Lia to yell out, her body instinctively pushing back into her captors, as if pirates were preferable to this disarmingly sweet woman.

But the woman did not stop and her hand closed around Lia's arm.

And a scream pierced the air.

Not Lia's, but the woman's.

Lia could feel a warmth flood through her entire body, as if it were protecting her, and a light burst from her skin in a way it had never done before. The light had blinded her momentarily, forcing her to shut her eyes until it faded. They opened to the sound of an agonizing scream. The light had subsided by then, leaving them all in a dark room.

The woman, Mother, was the one screaming with her back to Lia. Yazoo was at her side apprehensive of her screaming. "Mother, what's wrong?" He seemed to have realized the answer on his own because his eyes widened with shock. He turned to Lia and snapped at her. " _You!_ What did you do to Mother?!"

Lia was just as surprised as he was. "I-I…"

The woman continued wailing in pain. The silver-haired man tried his best to comfort her, "It's okay, Mother. We'll make it all right." He helped her to her feet and turned to Silver. "You. Give us the map."

Silver moved the map behind his back and shook his head with a charming smile. "Afraid that won't be happening, sonny. We struck a deal."

Yazoo snarled, "Well the deal is off!"

"Leave it be!" Mother said through gritted teeth.

"M-Mother, I-"

"I said leave it, you fool! And the girl!"

Yazoo was torn, but ultimately did as Mother ordered. He looked to Silver and said, "Enjoy your treasure for now, pirate. You better hope to have had your fill with it before the next time we cross paths." He pointed to Lia. "We want _her_ alive." He then turned to Lia and said, "We will meet again, Liana. I hope you are more welcoming to Mother next time. Kadaj won't appreciate it if you don't, after all."

Without another word, Yazoo led the injured woman back into the Dark Corridor and the two vanished as if they were never there to begin with.

* * *

 **Location:** The Final World

An ethereal void of sky and sea. That is the only way to describe the place Kairi found herself in. As her sapphire eyes slowly opened, she could feel herself laying on the watery reflective surface that rippled with the slightest movement. She managed to bring herself to her feet despite the pounding headache plaguing her, examining herself to find that she was whole.

Just like every time she'd been there before, Kairi was surrounded by an endless expanse. Despite it being wide open space, she never knew when she would happen upon someone so she began walking, calling out Sora's name over and over in case he could hear her.

Hours passed and there was no response, but Kairi never once stopped walking or calling his name. If she had to, she was ready to roam the infinite plane until the end of time. Eventually, she came across a sparkling assortment of small lights held together in a five-pronged star formation.

Her eyes widened with excitement at the sight of it and her legs moved on their own. By the time Kairi realized it, she was running at full sprint in its direction, water splashing up with each step she took until she reached the star.

"Sora?!"

The star backed away from her and shouted, "Woah there!" His voice was soft and youthful with a boyish charm, but it was not one she recognized.

Kairi stopped herself from getting closer when she realized that it wasn't him. "I-I'm sorry! It's just that I thought that maybe...you were someone else."

He didn't seem upset. In fact, he seemed rather amused as he laughed, which eased Kairi's nerves. "It's no problem," he responded. "I probably would've done the same if our roles were reversed. But that makes me wonder...why do you look like a person?"

Kairi said, "That's a long story…"

"Well, we've got nothing but time here," he pointed out. "I've been here for a really long time. It could be years, but I couldn't tell you how many if you asked."

"Gosh...I'm sorry to hear that. That means that there's something left unresolved, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess that's a good way of putting it. There was still a lot I wanted to do before I passed. It looks like you're in the middle of something, yourself."

Kairi nodded. "I'm here looking for someone. I don't suppose you've seen him since you were so surprised to see me."

The star responded, "You're right, but there are others like me here…a lot of us…"

He was right. It hadn't occurred to Kairi until he mentioned it, but she had only assumed that Sora came to the Final World as a whole person like he did ten years before. She didn't want to think about his heart and body perishing together.

The star could tell that his comment didn't sit well with her as her gaze fell. "I'm sure that he'd appear to you if he was here, though."

"What makes you so sure?"

"If you've come looking for him, it sounds like it's not his time yet. He probably wouldn't be able to move on until you appeared here. I know I'm not."

Kairi smiled softly as she asked, "Are you waiting for someone _special_?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. You seem pretty special yourself if you're willing to come to the brink of existence for the person you're looking for. I'm sure you would've found him by now if he were here."

Hearing that made Kairi's smile grow with reassurance. A spark of hope returned to her eyes. "Yeah! I lost my faith for a moment, but I know that if I continue to follow my heart, it will lead me to him. There aren't any shortcuts to this."

"Well then? What are you waiting for? Go on and find him!"

Kairi nodded. "Yeah. Thanks! Erm...sorry, I never caught your name."

"The name's Tyfon. Yours?"

"Kairi."

"Well Kairi, I hope you find your special someone wherever he is, and I hope to see you again, but not _too_ soon, alright?"

"Alright!" Kairi turned away from the star and summoned Destiny's Embrace before pointing it forward. A beam of light shot forward, creating a Sleeping Keyhole for her to depart from this dimension. She glanced back one last time and gave the star a gentle wave before disappearing into a pillar of light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wolfie: And there we are! Surprised? Intrigued? I hope so, a lot of this has been planned since the very beginning of this fic and both Legacy and I are thrilled to finally, FINALLY, share it with you all. Next chapter is going to be one for the history books, y'all, trust me ;)


	14. End of the Road

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Legacy: Hey guys! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I know we're a day late, but consider this your Christmas gift from us. I know Wolfie and I consider it a gift to ourselves because this is the final chapter of Book 1, concluding the Shattered Light arc of this story. This does not mean that we're done writing Dual Destinies, however, we're going to take a break for a while to recharge our batteries and plan ahead for the future of this series. That doesn't mean that you guys will be left without any content. I've been working on a little project of my own to supplement the Dual Destiny series of books, so if you aren't already following me, I recommend that you do so so that you don't miss when I post this upcoming story.
> 
> Wolfie: Hi everyone! I'm emotional, but I'm gonna hold it back for now! First off, I just want to say how PROUD I am that Legacy and I managed to do this, considering it was this plot exactly that I never finished in the original, so I'm so happy to see it finally done in all its deserved glory! I don't have much else to say here, so enjoy!

**Chapter 12: End of the Road**

* * *

**Location:** Treasure Planet - Tunnel

"Huh...this'll be fun." Loz smirked as he stared Tifa down. But Tifa didn't let him get to her and pushed herself forward using the balls of her feet.

Loz caught her right arm with his metal arm guard, but Tifa didn't hesitate as she slammed the ball of her leather gloved hand into his chin, causing his head to snap back and him to stumble.

Knowing that if she let this opening go she'd be pummeled, the brawler pressed her advantage, curling her hands into fists and punching Loz furiously, her strikes smooth and calculated for deadly accuracy. She swung her right leg out to nail him directly in the neck, in a move that would kill him had he hit the ground.

But Loz did not fall. Instead, he caught himself and charged Tifa instead. The monk barely managed to catch the metal arm guard Loz wore when it gave off an electric pulse and she was thrown back.

Quickly, Tifa flipped in midair and landed on the metal floor of the tunnel, staring Loz down.

_He's strong...and that arm guard is very sophisticated._ Tifa thought to herself as she wiped a drop of blood from her chin, having bit her tongue to stop herself from yelling out as she flew through the air. Loz grinned at her, as if he could read her thoughts.

The electricity still felt as if it were traveling through her body and Tifa felt her right hand twitch in response to it, as if she were having a seizure.

But she would not be stopped this easily.

With a cry, Tifa launched herself along the metal floor, intent on sliding the silver haired man's feet out from under him, only for Loz to leap into the air and backflip to land where Tifa had previously stood.

But she didn't give him a second to rest.

Tifa launched herself towards Loz and landed a solid punch at his jawline, causing him to fly into the walls of the tunnel. Using the many cylindrical levels to her advantage, Tifa jumped towards one and used it as leverage to leap towards her fleeing opponent, landing a kick right in his left cheek. He flew back more, and she landed on the ground, kicking out at him.

Loz ducked, neatly avoiding her kick, only for Tifa to backflip fast enough to land a solid kick on the man's chin, causing his head to snap back. As soon as she landed on her feet, Tifa pushed herself forward and locked her arms against Loz's.

But Tifa knew, in a contest of pure strength, her chances weren't nearly as good as when she kicked at him from a distance. Not with that arm guard of his.

And sure enough, Loz smirked before he sent out a burst of electricity, pushing Tifa back and giving him the opening he needed to kick her directly in the stomach. Tifa fell back on her knees and barely had a moment to dodge as Loz reached out to punch her.

Instead, the metal arm guard was buried in the metal pipe behind her, causing pieces of it to fall off.

Acting quickly, Tifa wrapped her hands around the man's collar and launched herself from the wall. In midair, she twisted her body so her feet pushed Loz's body into the floor and she used his body as a springboard, launching herself away from him...only for him to grasp her ankle and swing her through the air like a ragdoll before he released her to let her fly towards the wall.

Tifa twisted her body and, instead of smashing into the wall, landed so her left knee was bent, her right leg stretched out and her right hand balanced her against the wall. She looked up, seeing Loz staring at her with that twisted smile on his face.

Tifa launched herself towards him, barely dodging the metal arm guard, and grabbed _tight_ onto his face with her gloved hand and dragged him across the metal floor with all her strength before she threw him into the air and rolled under him to land on her feet. As soon as she stood up, Tifa jumped into the air, grabbed onto Loz and threw him into the floor of the tunnel.

A cloud of dust and metal came up as Loz landed a few feet away from Tifa. Straightening up, the monk sighed in relief, even as she remained on guard for any counterattacks.

Everything was silent, as if she were standing in the church Aerith favored on Radiant Garden for flower growing, when it was suddenly broken by a sound, something akin to a video game victory track.

_"Duhn-duhn-duhn-_ duhn _, duhn duhn,_ duhn _-da-_ duhn _!"_

Confused, Tifa glanced around, trying to find the source of the sound as it repeated, only for the rubble formed by Tifa's throwing of Loz to burst into the air as the man himself to stand up calmly and take out what looked like a Gummi phone.

He didn't say anything as he answered, only for his face to twist in anger as whoever was on the other line spoke.

"She did _what_?" The silver haired man growled.

Tifa was unsure of what Loz heard, but she kept her attention focused on him, ready to act at a moment's notice.

"I'm _not_ crying, Yazoo!" Loz shouted. He turned back to face Tifa and said, "No, I got it. I'll just finish up with this lady." The phone disappeared back into a leather pocket as Loz prepared his arm guard for another fight. "Where were we?" he asked as he pointed the device toward Tifa.

As he finished his question, Loz swiveled in place and kicked a broken walkway at Tifa. It was damaged by their fight. Tifa swatted the walkway away with minimal effort, but she realized all too late the real reason it was flung at her. Loz appeared beside her with his smug grin. His arm guard clicked, ready to shock her, and he threw a powerful punch.

Instead of the sound of bones breaking from the impact, there was only a loud clang from metal hitting metal. By the time Tifa turned around to face Loz, she found herself standing directly behind a blonde man - one who she knew very well. The blonde held his giant segmented sword flat against the prongs on Loz's arm guard, holding the silver-haired man back.

"Cloud…" She whispered in shock as her eyes landed on her husband.

"Sorry, I'm late." Cloud apologized as he threw Loz back with his body weight, giving them a few feet to work with. "Let's get this done, then we can talk."

"Yeah." Tifa nodded in agreement, standing at Cloud's side, ready for the next round.

"Big Brother, why aren't you helping Mother? We've been searching for you." Loz gasped, looking almost genuinely heartbroken as he stared at Cloud.

"I'm _not_ your brother." Cloud stated firmly before he launched himself forward, swinging his sword at Loz, causing the silver haired man to duck.

But he didn't even have a moment to breathe, as Tifa quickly followed up, using the man's movements against him, kicking him directly in the forehead and sending him flying into the wall.

Loz steadied himself, only to be forced to block Cloud with his arm guard, leaving him wide open for Tifa to cut his legs out under him with a swift kick, sending him to the hard, metal ground. The silver haired man barely managed to roll away from where he had been cornered, the slightest hint of fear entering his eyes as he stared at the husband and wife duo.

This fight would not be nearly so easy as he had imagined.

As Loz seemed to realize this, he pushed himself to his feet and held his hand out, causing a Dark Corridor to form.

"This isn't over yet, Big Brother! We'll find you and Mother will bring you home!" Loz yelled before he vanished into the darkness.

Cloud huffed quietly as he sheathed his sword and turned to Tifa. "You alright, Tifa?"

"I'm fine, but where have you been? I've been looking for you for weeks." Tifa placed her hands on her hips and raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"That's-" Cloud started to say, only for the ground to start shaking, hard enough that Tifa stumbled forward into Cloud, who managed to keep them both upright. "An earthquake?"

"That's impossible...this whole planet is metal." Tifa shook her head, but she was worried. "Unless…"

"We need to get out of here." Cloud stated firmly, changing his grasp from Tifa's arms to her hand, pulling her behind him as he ran towards where he parked his bike a distance away. "Get on."

"But we can't leave the atmosphere, I can't be in the Ocean Between." Tifa protested.

"Then we'll get you to whatever ship brought you here, but we can't stay." Cloud said as he slammed on his helmet and activated his armor that protected him from the Ocean Between. "Come on."

"...okay." Tifa nodded as she climbed on behind Cloud and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Cloud revved the engine and took off into the tunnels beneath Treasure Planet.

* * *

**Location:** Midnight City - Rose Castle - Guest Room

When Kairi opened her eyes to see the ceiling of her guest room in Rose Castle, she was surprised to feel the bed shaking. She thought nothing of it at first, still feeling a bit dazed, but after looking out the window, it was undeniable that Rose Castle was moving.

"We're leaving."

Kairi was startled by the voice, letting out a small yelp as she turned around and summoned Destiny's Embrace to defend herself. When she realized that it was just Xion, Kairi sighed with relief. "It's just...you…" At that moment, everything came back to Kairi. She remembered the argument that she had had with Xion. "Xion, I-"

"I'm sorry."

Kairi was surprised to hear her friend apologize first.

Xion continued, "You were right. We shouldn't have held off our search for Sora. It took Midnight City falling apart for me to realize that."

"It what?! Xion, I'm so sorry. Had I stayed and helped, maybe-"

"No. This world was dying and I was just being too stubborn to let it go."

"Because it was your old home world."

Xion shook her head. "Because it reminded me of myself. This world was never meant to exist and Lauriam and Elrena made it their mission to give it life. I was like that. Someone who everyone forgot about, but because of Roxas and Lea, I became a real person."

Tears began to form in Kairi's eyes. Her body moved on its own as she hugged Xion tightly. The raven-haired woman hugged back, unable to hold back tears of her own. As the two held each other, Kairi apologized. "I'm so sorry, Xion. I should've been more considerate of what you needed."

Xion shook her head again and said, "No, we promised to help you find Sora. _Sora_. The man who's given up everything for me and Roxas and everyone else. I was being selfish."

"I-It's okay, Xion." Kairi pulled away and looked her friend in the eyes. "It's okay."

Xion wiped her face with her sleeves and swallowed a big lump in her throat. "Nothing else is going to stop us from finding Sora, Kairi. I won't rest until we do."

Kairi smiled and nodded before going to hug Xion again.

"I'm sorry too, I was selfish for wanting to leave to find Sora. I'm glad we stayed and I'm so sorry it got to this point." The red head whispered. "But I promise, we'll help them, we'll make this right the first chance we get."

"Yeah, we will." Xion smiled slightly, returning Kairi's hug, believing her words with her whole heart. Eventually...eventually, everything would work out, she knew it.

* * *

**Location** : Treasure Planet - B.E.N's House

After Yazoo and his Mother escaped through a Dark Corridor, Lia and the others were left with Silver and his pirate crew - the map in the cyborg's clutches. He reveled in victory as his underlings cheered. They had everything they needed: the map, the Legacy, and no one left to stop them. Except, now that Silver had the map, he couldn't seem to open it. His mechanical hand transformed multiple times, pulling various tools out to rip the device open, but the golden sphere would not budge.

Unable to open the map like Jim can, Silver looked down at his former cabin boy. Silver pushed his mechanical hand forward, dropping the map into Jim's hands as the pirates released him. "Open it," he demanded.

Jim hesitated to do so until Silver transformed his arm into a gun and pointed it at the other hostages. "I'd get busy." Ryo, Captain Amelia, and Delbert were all gagged so all they could do was move their heads. The latter initially nodded his head, before realizing that Captain Amelia was shaking hers.

Lia yelled at Jim, "Don't do it!"

Silver was ready to explode with frustration as he snapped at one of his crew, "Would you shut 'er up?!"

"Ay Captain!" Said a small slug-like creature with six eyes before going to gag Lia.

Silver looked back at Jim who reluctantly activated the map, causing particles of cyan light to flush out of it. Those particles changed from cyan to green as they formed into a holographic diorama of Treasure Planet. Silver's breath had been taken away as he stared in awe. He whispered,

"All the powers that be, would you look?"

The diorama then morphed into a laser trail, one that undoubtedly led to the treasure. Silver chuckled to himself before ordering his crew to tie Jim up and leave him with the other hostages. The trail suddenly disappeared, causing Silver to whip his head back, his eyes barely able to keep up with the photon particles that retreated into the map.

Jim looked down at the device in his hand then up at Silver. "You want the map? You're taking me too."

Silver chuckled again, as he stared at the boy whom he had grown to admire in some ways. Jim was quite crafty, but his suggestion did change Silver's mind altogether. "We'll take 'em all."

Silver's pirates grabbed their hostages and piled them into the lone remaining longboat. The pirate captain stood at the bow of the boat with Jim beside him as they followed the laser trail across the wide plains of Treasure Planet. Eventually, they reached a dark thicket of tall fungi and began walking on foot, though Lia, Ryo, Delbert, and Captain Amelia stayed on the boat with a couple of pirates to keep an eye on them.

As Silver touched down on the ground, he looked up to Jim and Ryo and called up to them. "Come on, boys!"

Jim went down with B.E.N. and Morph, but Ryo was unsure if Silver had been talking to him until one of the remaining pirates lifted him up with a tentacle and dropped him over the edge of the longboat. Ryo fell and rolled on the ground, coughing up dust.

Jim stepped forward to help his friend, but was told to keep walking by one of the pirates who then went to forcefully pull Ryo up to his feet and push him in the direction they were going in.

Watching them mistreat Ryo made Lia's blood boil. Her teeth were clenched tightly as she tried to hold back her rage. It took everything she had from trying to throw herself at one of the three pirates that stayed behind with her.

Lia's frustration was nothing more than entertainment to the pirate, who laughed at her for it. Blue eyes flickered over to them, which only gave them more amusement.

"Something bothering you, wench?" It was Turnbuckle, the multi-armed pirate that Lia used to know as the helmsman of the Legacy.

Lia shook her head and aimed her attention elsewhere, anywhere else to keep her mind busy. Eventually, a beam of bright greenish light shot into the sky in the direction that Ryo and the others went in before parting at a sharp angle. From what Lia could see, the imagery changed within that small triangle she could see. She didn't know how to describe it or what it was. All she hoped for was the safety of her friends and allies, but she wanted to do more than just hope. Unable to restrain the rising urge to fight back, Lia made a risky play. She fell overboard and began sprinting in the direction that the others went in, moving like a black blur.

"Don't let her get away!"

She looked over her shoulder to see Turnbuckle and Blinko, a large one-eyed alien, chased after her, leaving Grewnge, the fat reptilian gunman to keep an eye on Delbert and Captain Amelia.

* * *

**Location:** Midnight City - Rose Castle - Alter

There was only one thing left for Kairi, Roxas, and Xion to do at Rose Castle. It was still within the airspace above Midnight City so the trio went up to the altar at the highest point of the castle with Lauriam leading them every step of the way. Elrena was with Zia, comforting the little girl who barely understood what was happening.

Without turning back to her, Lauriam said, "Kairi-"

The redhead had been lost in thought about the memory she was about to experience. In Radiant Garden, she felt like she had lost control of her own body, as if someone else was in the driver's seat. Despite feeling closer to Sora, Kairi would be lying if she said that she enjoyed that feeling. This caused her quite a bit of mixed emotions that swirled in her head, making her lose focus when Lauriam called her attention. The redhead's face brightened with surprise as she blinked.

"Yes?" she asked politely.

"I wish you would have told me about Sora and your purpose here sooner. Elrena and I didn't mean to keep you. In fact, I wish we could go with you to find Sora, but doing so would undo all that you've done for us."

Kairi smiled and nodded. "Yeah! There's no need to worry, Lauriam. You just leave Sora to us and we'll leave you to hold the fort here."

As they approached the summit, Lauriam moved his head slightly to look at her and offered a warm smile. "You can count on us. Well, here we are. Now then, what do you need from me."

Roxas shook his head and said, "From this point, it's all Kairi." He looked over at her, his eyes soft with concern. "You ready?"

A deep breath. That was all Kairi needed to do as she closed her eyes and mentally prepared herself. When she opened them, there was a look of unwavering determination inside them. She nodded and walked past the others onto the circular platform. Like in Ansem's grand hall, Kairi suddenly found herself in a memory not quite her own. This time, however, she did not feel the surge of adrenaline from Sora's fight with Riku. Everything was calmer and she felt content - accomplished. It must have been how Sora felt after defeating Xemnas...the first time.

From Kairi's point-of-view, she stood beside a younger version of herself. In front of them stood Naminé with a Dark Corridor behind her. From Kairi's perspective, Naminé spoke directly to her and said, "See? We meet again, like we promised."

Kairi could hear Roxas' voice as if coming from inside her. He responded, "You said we'd meet again. But when we did, we might not recognize each other." The voice began to separate from Kairi as it went on until she could see the back of him standing directly in front of her.

Naminé's sea blue eyes shut as she smiled and said, "I did, didn't I."

Roxas responded, "But I knew you."

Naminé nodded. "Mmm. It's strange."

"I think I understand. I see myself the way you remember me. And you see yourself the way I remember you."

"I always thought Nobodies were doomed to fade back into darkness."

Roxas agreed with her and said, "Yeah. But you and I didn't. We got to meet our original selves."

"So...we can be together again!"

Roxas pivoted around to face Kairi and her younger self. "Right. Anytime Sora and Kairi are together." Kairi's heart raced at the thought.

She then heard her younger self say, "We'll be together every day. Right Sora?"

It was strange seeing these things from Sora's point-of-view and even stranger responding with his voice. "Uh...yeah!"

The younger Kairi approached Naminé and shook hands. Naminé began glowing a bright yellow color before fading.

"Look sharp!" Kairi heard Roxas' voice and her head snapped forward. Unlike with Naminé, no contact was made as Roxas closed his eyes and disappeared with a blue light. Kairi was suddenly filled with a sense of bloatedness. Something about Roxas returning to Sora made her feel like she had just indulged herself in a buffet. It was similar to what she remembered feeling with Naminé.

When Kairi turned to look at her younger self, the teen was gone. She continued turning to find Roxas, Xion, and Lauriam standing at the entrance to the altar.

Xion took a step forward. "Kairi?"

"Were you able to see anything?" Roxas added.

Kairi took a deep breath and closed her eyes, holding onto the feeling that she experienced from the vision. When she opened them, she met Roxas' eyes and nodded. "Yeah. I saw the time you and Naminé returned to me and Sora. It reminded me of how good it felt to feel... _whole_. But it also reminded me that Sora and I could exist separately from you two. While we didn't feel _whole_ , per say, before we reunited with you and Naminé, our hearts had mostly healed by then. All we ended up doing was hurting you two in the end." Her eyes fell as she processed what she had just said.

Roxas stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him. He shook his head and said, "Wrong. That feeling that you just described...that's how Naminé and I felt before reuniting with you and Sora. The reunion almost 'charged our batteries' in a way."

Kairi smiled because, as odd as the example Roxas provided was, it was pretty accurate.

"Alright, so that just proves it," Xion cut in. "Sora is calling out to you, Kairi. We just have to keep following his voice."

Kairi nodded. "Right!" She stepped past her companions and met face-to-face with the king of Rose Castle. "Lauriam, thank you so much for your help."

Lauriam waved his hand and shook his head. "The thanks are yours. The three of you helped keep my kingdom afloat for as long as it could last. For that, you have my appreciation...and my payment." He looked over at Xion with a sly smirk, to which she nodded approvingly. "Now I believe that Sora is waiting for you. Go forth and bring back the Hero of the World."

"Don't let Sora hear you calling him that," Roxas said. "It'd go to his head."

Lauriam chuckled. "But we all do owe our lives to him."

Kairi sighed as she thought to herself, _Yeah, I'll say_.

With their business finished at the altar, Kairi, Roxas, Xion, and Lauriam returned inside Rose Castle to say their farewells to its inhabitants and then went to the Gummi Ship to part ways with them.

* * *

**Location** : Treasure Planet - Mushroom Forest

The flashing trail of light began blinking faster as Silver reached a wall of mushroom stems. He told his crew, "We're getting close, lads! I smell treasure awaiting!" The other pirates cheered as he cut through the fungi with his arm, but those celebrations were cut abruptly as they came to the realization of where they were: a cliffside. The trail ended right at the edge, sending the crew into a fit of frustration as they complained about their voyage being naught.

Once again, the photon particles returned to the map, which closed itself on its own. Silver turned to Jim and asked, "What's going on, Jimbo?"

"I-I can't get it open!" he said as he struggled with the device.

This only brought more complaints.

Bird Brain Mary, the only female on Silver's crew, shouted, "We should've never followed this boy!" She leapt into the air and pushed Jim down with her prehensile feet.

"Hey!" he shouted as he fell to the floor. The ground felt cold and impenetrable like metal.

Jim slowly picked himself up to his knees. As he did so, he noticed a small indentation in the ground. It was round like a concave dome. He examined it closely, removing the moss around it while Silver urged him, "I suggest you get the gizmo going again and fast!"

Silver's pirates were not as kind with their words with some of them saying to rip Jim's gizzard out or even throw him over the cliff. Jim shut them out, though, focusing only on the round crevice. It had an odd pattern of circles connected by lines which made him think of the map itself and that's when it hit him. As the pirates grew more unruly, Jim inserted the map and green energy radiated outward through the ground beneath their feet. A holographic green dome appeared over the map and it slowly rose up from the ground as a full sphere.

Jim was about to touch it when a machine-like whir hummed through the planet. Several warm green lights stretched across the valley, all leading toward the base of the cliff. When they met, a singular lime green beam of light shot up and then spread out like a triangle, revealing the Ocean Between.

"Oh have mercy," Silver said in awe.

Jim recognized the exact location in the portal, calling it the Lagoon Nebula.

"But that's halfway across the Galaxy," Silver pointed out.

Ryo wouldn't know since this voyage was his first time in the Etherium, or out in the Ocean Between in general.

Jim looked down at the hologram and muttered to himself, "A big door..." He then pressed something on the surface of the projection and it beeped. The massive gateway before them began glowing yellow and green before revealing several floating structures with ships coming to and from them. "...opening and closing…" The location changed again, this time to a desert-like world.

Finally understanding the workings of Treasure Planet, Jim smiled as he said, "Let's see…" He named a location that Ryo did not exactly catch before pointing out one he did: Montressor. The brown-haired boy touched the satellite port and it suddenly appeared in the portal.

"So that's how Flint did it. He used this portal to roam the universe, stealing treasure."

While Jim played around with the map, captivated by its magnificence, Silver was growing impatient. He moved Jim out of the way and frantically began cycling through different locations with the map as he asked, "But where'd he stash it all?! Where's that blasted treasure?!"

"Treasure!" B.E.N. blurted out as he held his head. He struggled with a serious headache, shutting his eyes to try and concentrate. "Treasure is buried in the–!"

Jim understood and finished the robot's sentence. "–buried in the centroid of the mechanism." He rubbed his chin in thought and continued to say, "What if the whole planet _is_ the mechanism? And the treasure is buried in the center of this planet!"

Hearing that, Silver's pirates excitedly reached for the shovels and pickaxes and they began clanging them against the metal surface.

Silver already knew that they would not be able to reach the core by digging, or at least he knew it wouldn't be very effective to do so. His patience had reached the end of its rope when he snarled out, "And how the blazes are we supposed to get there?!" Location after location, he opened and closed the portals, unable to find what he sought.

At one point, Silver even opened a gateway to a planet inhabited by a monstrously large insectoid creature. It noticed Silver and the others and opened its fanged mouth, letting loose a frightening roar that made Ryo and some of the pirates flinch. Luckily, Silver had been cycling through the locations so quickly that the door closed before the beast could make its way through.

In response to Silver's frustration, Jim gently brushed the cyborg's arm away as he explained, "Just open the right door." He touched on a symbol that resembled Treasure Planet which glowed brightly. The door flashed as well, this time opening to a _very_ large room with large metal beams all facing the same direction.

Jim stepped forward hand first, allowing it to faze through the doorway. The rest of his body followed, showing the pirates that the entrance was safe. Silver followed close behind Jim and then the rest of his crew behind him along with B.E.N. Ryo, however, remained outside, the pirates completely oblivious to him. He wanted to see if any of them would notice, but they were too enthralled with the _Treasure of a Thousand Worlds_. Silver stood in complete awe as he gazed upon the large core of gold and jewels with both his organic and robotic eyes. His crew went completely wild with cheer as they rushed to indulge in their spoils.

Ryo watched as Jim slipped past Silver with B.E.N. and Morph, heading toward a ship that sat on a pile of gold. The spiky-haired boy kept an eye out as his hand slipped into his pocket for his Gummi Phone, which he used to send a message to Riku. Within seconds, several numbers appeared on his screen and he slowly took a few steps backward toward the map. Ryo fiddled with his phone until he found exactly what he was looking for. His finger touched down on the holographic map and the portal opened to reveal the Ocean Between with a small craft moving in the distance.

"Ryo!"

The boy turned to find Lia approaching him very quickly.

"M-Ms. Lia! Where are Delbert and the Captain?"

"Still back on the longboat. I know I shouldn't have left, but I couldn't let Silver have his way. Wait! Where did everyone else go?"

"Ms. Lia, t-the map! It's amaz–look out!"

Ryo pushed Lia down to the ground, saving her from an incoming blaster bolt. Turnbuckle and Blinko had caught up to Lia and now had their weapons aimed directly at her and Ryo.

"We've got you now, Missy," Turnbuckle said menacingly. He and Blinko chuckled maliciously, ready to end those two, but when the Highwind soared out from the portal, they dove out of the way. A thick cloud of dust rose behind the Gummi Ship, making the pirates cough. Turnbuckle stood up and called out for Blinko. "Ay! Blinko! Where are you–" When he stepped out of the dust cloud, he was met with several Keyblades aimed directly at him and Blinko was on his knees with his hands behind his eyeball.

Rickson shot the multi-armed alien a sharp glare as he strictly stated, "Try anything and I'll send 2,000 volts through your system." His Keyblade, Darkgnaw, surged with electricity through its cool purple blade, crackling between the sharp teeth.

"And if that doesn't do it, I'll set you ablaze," Jack added with Tempered Desire coated in a fiery aura.

"Good thinking using that gateway to teleport us here, Ryo," Riku complimented. He stood over Blinko with his own Keyblade aimed directly at him as well while Sari went to check on Ryo and Lia for wounds, but before the redhead could do so, the ninja was ambushed by her sister.

Lia blinked a couple times, completely lost as to how she ended up on the ground. Despite being so quick, Gia had completely caught her off guard, tackling her down with a massive hug. "Lia!" a muffled yelled came from right beside her as Gia squeezed her sister tightly. Lia smiled and before she knew it, her arms were around her sister as well.

Lia smiled. "Hey there Bahamut. Good to see you again."

Gia picked herself off her sister and sat down on her knees. "I'm so glad that you're okay, Lia," she said with a sniffle. "I...I sensed something was wrong and it had me worried sick the whole flight over here."

Lia nodded. "I-I felt the same. You had a Light Flare didn't you?"

Gia simply nodded. "It just...it just happened. Master Riku, Jack, and I were being held hostage and I couldn't stand the thought of not being able to see you again. What about yours?"

"It happened during a fight in the Ocean Between. My armor cracked and I was exposed to the darkness…" She reluctantly looked over to Riku, afraid of having disappointed him.

The Keyblade Master looked at his apprentice and offered an empathetic look. "That was out of your control Lia, it's not your fault. But on the way here, I think Gia experienced a severe headache twice. Did something else happen?"

Lia gripped her arm tightly, truly ashamed of relying on the power of darkness to defeat the Dark Howlers on the Legacy.

"Lia?"

It was Gia. She looked at Lia with a furrowed brow.

"I-I had to! I needed to use it or we would have been overwhelmed by the Heartless."

Gia yelled, "Lia! That's not okay! You can't give into your emotions like that!"

"And you can give in to yours?!" Gia's eyes widened from the sudden snap. Lia continued, "You were in a situation out of your control and you used the power of light to regain it."

Gia's face hardened as she retaliated, "We were trapped! And what's your excuse?"

Lia's fists balled up tightly as she shouted, "I couldn't let another ally down!"

Everyone remained quiet for a moment until Sari broke the silence.

"Then Marta really is…"

Lia and Ryo avoided all eyes, unwilling to answer that question. There was another period of deafening silence in which time seemed to stand perfectly still. Not a single life form moved even the tiniest of muscle until the tiniest one of them all let out a growl into an enraged yelled. The flames around Tempered Desire roared and crackled, increasing with intensity as Jack slammed his Keyblade down against the metal ground bursting a hole into it.

Everyone looked at him but said nothing. After a few deep breaths, he turned around to face Riku and asked, "Master. What should we do now?"

Riku understood Jack's frustration and left it alone. He answered by turning to Lia and saying, "We need an update on what's going on."

The ground beneath them began shaking violently, causing Riku and the apprentices to stagger.

"Jack!" Several complaints, mostly from the girls were thrown at Jack.

"Everyone calm down!" Riku called. "I don't think it was Jack."

"Jim!" Everyone looked over at Ryo as he scrambled for the map. "Something must be happening in the core of this planet." He touched the center of the Treasure Planet icon, opening the door to the core. Just as the gateway opened, B.E.N. and some of Silver's pirates burst through the permeable forcefield that separated the two spaces.

"Stop them!" Per Lia's urgent call, Gia, Sari, and Jack bolted forward to disarm and restrain the remnants of Silver's forces.

B.E.N. went straight for Ryo and clung to the boy's armor chest plate. "Ryo! Ryo! Oh, this is bad! Silver's triggered Captain Flint's booby trap and this planet is going to blow along with the treasure and everything else on it! Including us!"

"W-where's Jim?!"

"He's getting a ship ready, but he told me to go help Delbert and the Captain with the Legacy! Come on, buddy, we've got to go!"

Lia turned to Riku. "Master?"

Riku nodded. "The robot is right, we need to get to the RLS Legacy. Rickson, Sari, and Jack, take these thieves to the Legacy on your gliders." He spoke specifically to Lia when he asked, "How far away is the Legacy from this world's orbit?"

"It's within the atmosphere."

"Okay, then you go as well. You won't be at risk of the darkness from the Ocean Between."

"Yes, master."

"Gia, Ryo, robot, you're with me in the Highwind, let's go!"

Everyone acted quickly, getting to the Legacy which happened to be on its way to them, piloted by Delbert with Captain Amelia and Tifa's assistance. Cloud was flying beside the ship on his hover bike with his helmet on, but Riku recognized him immediately. The Keyblade wielders with gliders quickly boarded the ship and tied up Silver's pirates. Gia, Ryo, and B.E.N. warped down from the Highwind soon afterward.

With everyone together, they made their way back to the portal to pick up Jim, who brought Silver along with him onboard. Once the two were safely on the ship, Captain Amelia turned to B.E.N. and said, "Take us out of here, Metal Man!"

"Ay captain!" B.E.N. took a firm hold of a pair of levers and pushed them forward, activating the Legacy's thrusters.

As Jim and Silver rose up the stairs, the latter stopped to grovel to Captain Amelia. "Captain, you dropped from the heavens in the nick of…"

Amelia was having none of it, however. "Save your claptrap for the judge, Silver."

She turned her back to him as he laughed nervously.

Not long after that, a flying piece of metal crashed through the mizzen sail, causing a piece of the mast to fall and crush one of the thrusters.

B.E.N. reported, the damage to Captain Amelia. "Mizzen sail demobilized, Captain! Thrusters at only thirty percent capacity!"

"Thirty percent?!" Delbert repeated. "That means we're…" He turned to Captain Amelia and explained, "We'll never clear the planet's explosion in time."

The apprentices overheard the alarming news and turned to Lia. Sari asked, "What should we do?"

Lia stared back without blinking, processing Sari's question. "Why are you asking me?"

"This is your mission after all, isn't it?"

"It is, but Sari, you have the most experience as a team captain."

The redhead placed a hand on her fellow apprentice and offered reassurance with a warm smile and a gentle hand on her shoulder. "That may be true, but leaders aren't born with experience. They gain it."

"Yeah, sis. You can do this!"

Lia's eyes went back and forth between Gia and Sari for a moment. The two of them were pushing her to make decisions for everyone and it weighed heavy on her, but she knew that she needed to step up the plate.

The ninja was about to say something when Jim shouted, "We gotta turn around!"

"What?!" The captain shouted.

As Jim ran past the Keyblade Wielders, he called back to Captain Amelia, "There's a portal back there. It can get us out of there!"

Dr. Doppler responded, "Pardon me, Jim, but didn't that portal open onto a raging inferno?"

"Yeah," he said with a grunt as he ripped a wooden plank out of a pile of debris.

Lia looked at the gateway, then back to Jim and understood what he was thinking. She muttered, "He's going to change the destination."

"But I'm going to change that. I'm going to open a different door."

Delbert turned to Amelia and said, "Captain, really, I don't see how this is possible–"

Silver had realized what Jim was suggesting at that moment as well and he cut off the doctor. "Listen to the boy!"

B.E.N. chimed in, "One minute, twenty-nine seconds till planet's destruction!"

Silver went to Jim's side and offered a hand to help him. "What do you need, Jim?"

The boy grabbed hold of a piece of rope and slung it over a small engine. "Just some way to attach this."

Lia interjected, "That won't be necessary, Jim. One of us can go and open a new doorway. Just tell us–"

"No!" Jim snapped. "I'm the reason why we're even in this situation to begin with. I brought the map to the pirates so all of this is my fault and I'm the only one who knows how to make the map work."

"Jim, now's not a time to try to impress–"

"I have to do this, Lia." His eyes were steely with resolve.

"Trust in the lad," Silver urged. This earned him a look of admiration and gratitude from Jim.

Lia rolled her eyes, but conceded, accepting that they didn't have time to talk things over. "Fine." She looked at Sari, Rickson, and Jack and said, "You three go with him. Keep him safe."

"Right." They all nodded and activated their Keyblade armor before jumping overboard with their Keyblade gliders.

"All right, stand back," Silver said as his arm became a blowtorch which he used to weld together the engine with a metal plate. "There you go," he said as he, and now Ryo, helped Jim lift the makeshift solar surfer onto the edge of the deck.

Jim hopped up onto the board and turned his head to Silver. "Okay, now no matter what happens, keep the ship heading straight for that portal."

B.E.N. called out, "Fifty-eight seconds!"

Jim and Silver exchanged one last look before the boy stepped hard on a lever that sent him flying off the ship deck. Soon after, the Legacy turned around to follow him and so did Cloud on his hover bike and Riku in the Highwind.

Jim lost altitude quickly but continued going straight for the gateway. At one point, Sari offered him to hop onto her glider, but he refused and pressed forward, using every ounce of skill he had flying solar surfers to navigate through the crumbling mechanical planetoid.

All was going well until Jim's makeshift solar surfer jammed and he began falling into a magmatic chasm.

"Jim!" Sari shouted his name when she noticed him falling.

Ryo also called his name from where he was on the ship, frustrated by his own inability to help. He gripped the ship's wooden edge with all his might, cracking it with his metal gauntlets.

Silver was just as distressed as he watched his other former cabin boy plummet into the fissure, hoping for Sari or one of the others to make it in time before he dove straight into the river of lava. Jim thought quickly, though and slammed the back of his board against the wall, sending sparks flying as well as giving it the fire it needed to rocket him outside of the chasm. He shot up past the Keyblade wielders who were all quick to u-turn as well and kept close behind him as the RLS Legacy and the Highwind passed by them.

"Hey kid!"

Rickson flew by on his glider with his hand reached out. Jim took hold of it and allowed Rickson to fling him forward. Jim flipped over and hung onto his solar surfer as he stretched his hand out to touch the map.

The doorway opened to Montressor Spaceport and a small army of ships, gliders, and the like flew out with a fiery explosion flaring out behind them. Everyone cheered with joy from having made it safely off of Treasure Planet, including the pirates being held in the brig.

Jim howled victoriously with his hands raised. Silver was just excited, giving the boy a high five as he soared onto the ship with Sari, Rickson, and Jack right behind. Gia threw an arm over Lia and jumped excitedly, Delbert and Amelia embraced each other, and Morph went to lick Jim wildly.

Amelia approached Jim with Delbert and congratulated Jim. "Unorthodox, but ludicrously effective. I'd be proud to recommend you to the interstellar academy. They could use a man like you."

"Just wait until your mother hears about this!" Delbert said.

Ryo put a hand on Jim's shoulder and said, "Yeah, she'd be very proud of you. I know I am."

While Jim was being praised for his incredible feat, Silver watched from far with pride, but by the time Jim looked over to where the cyborg had been, he was gone. The boy knew where to look, though. He nudged Ryo on the shoulder and told him to follow him down to the hangar where Silver was preparing the last longboat to make his inconspicuous escape.

As the boys went around the corner, they could hear Morph's indistinguishable squeaks followed by Silver whispering, "Morphy, we gotta make tracks."

"You never quit, do you?" asked Jim.

Having been caught, Silver turned around to find his two former cabin boys. "Ah, Jimbo! Rybo! Ha ha! I was merely checking to make sure our last longboat was safe and secure." To make his point, Silver tied a knot, that he presumptuously undid in the first place.

Ryo and Jim shared a look, both smirking at each other, before turning back to the cyborg.

"Mmm." Jim touched his lip as he approached Silver. He then got down to a knee and secured the knot. "Well, that should do it."

Silver pushed himself up off the floor and laughed. "I taught you too well." Jim looked at him with narrowed eyes, skeptical of the cyborg's intentions. Those doubts were confirmed by what Silver said next. "If you don't mind, we'd just as soon avoid prison. Little Morphy here, he's a free spirit." The little blob creature whisked around his owner's hand until landing on Silver's metal hand. The cyborg wrapped his fingers around him and explained, "Being in a cage, it'd break his heart." He then opened his hand to pet Morph with his biological hand, while the little blob whined.

He looked at the boys, hopeful for their leniency. They shared another look before Jim told Ryo, "Let 'em go."

Ryo nodded and pulled a lever. When the humming of machinery moving tickled Silver's ears, he turned to find the floor opening. He then turned back to find Jim undoing the knot for him. It made Silver happy to see the boys so kind to him even after everything that had happened. It also made him hopeful of their response to what he would say next. "What say you ship out with us, lads? You and me. Hawkins, Grace, and Silver! Full of ourselves and no ties to anyone!"

Ryo was the first to speak. "I-I'm sorry Mr. Silver...but I have a duty to those who've given me a place in t-the larger world."

Silver smiled and nodded. "I assumed as much. What say you, Jimbo?"

"You know, when I got on this boat, I would've taken you up on that offer in a second." He looked at the rose-colored Ocean just beneath him. "But, uh, I met this old cyborg and he taught me that I could chart my own course. That's what I'm gonna do."

"And what do you see off that bow of yours?" Silver asked.

Jim turned and answered, "A future."

Silver chuckled. "Why, look at ya, glowing like a solar fire." He turned to Ryo. "Both of ya. You're something special. You're both going to rattle the stars, you are." He leaned in to hug both boys, knowing that it would be his last time with either of them. With a cough to clear his throat, Silver separated from them and said, "Got a bit of grease in this cyborg eye of mine." He then turned around to hide a sniffle that he was fighting.

Morph was much less able to contain himself as he burst into tears.

Jim tried to comfort him. "Oh hey, Morph. I'll see ya around, okay?"

"See ya around," he repeated, before going back to Silver. The cyborg looked at his pet longingly before resolving himself. "Morphy? I got a job for ya. I need you to keep an eye on this here pup." Jim's eyes widened as he started to understand what Silver was asking of Morph. "Will you do me that little favor?"

The little blob's expression uplifted as he straightened up and saluted to Silver. "Aye-aye, Captain." He then pressed himself against Silver's cheek to say goodbye to his owner of many years. The blob went to Jim and cuddled his face excitedly, happy to have found a new home.

As the longboat descended slowly, Silver exclaimed, "Oh! And one more thing!" He tossed up a handful of gold and jewels to Jim and a small trinket to Ryo. "This is for your dear mother to rebuild that inn of hers. And Ryo, if you ever need Morph, he'll come to your side too."

Ryo looked down at the charm Silver gave him. It was a necklace with a silver-framed pendant. The image was of a pink blob, just like Morph, but without eyes. Morph went over to rub up against Ryo's temple, getting lost in his spiked mess of hair before reforming in front of him. Ryo smiled and waved to the pirate. "T-thank you! Take care, Mr. Silver!"

Jim chimed in. "Stay out of trouble, ya old scallywag."

"Why, Jimbo, lad. When have I ever done otherwise?" Silver laughed as the longboat cleared out of the hangar and he took off with a long wave goodbye to both of them. The boys continued watching until he became a tiny dot and then disappeared out of sight.

Ryo placed a hand on Jim's shoulder and said, "He's gone. We should go back with the others. Master Riku must be wondering where I went off too."

"Yeah. That reminds me, I've got something to give you too."

Ryo shot him a confused look, which Jim responded to by smiling and patting his friend on the back. "Come on, I'll show you upstairs."

When the two arrived back on the main deck, Jim picked up the makeshift solar surfer and offered it to Ryo. "It's not the real deal, but I figured that you could practice with it until you get your own like the others."

Ryo was lost for a moment, but understood what Jim was talking about after giving it some thought. "Oh! You mean a Keyblade glider."

"Yeah, whatever you guys call it."

Ryo smiled. "Thanks, Jim. I appreciate it. I-I'm sorry I don't have anything to give you in return."

Jim raised an eyebrow and said, "You could always give me one of those cool weapons you guys all have."

Lia pulled Ryo back and flatly said, "Not happening."

"Oh! Um, Lia...I didn't see you there…" Jim had suddenly gotten very flustered as his head sank down. He could barely maintain eye contact and he swiveled the ball of his foot into the deck floor. "So, uh...ahem! So what did you think of me back there?"

Lia wore her usual stoic look, made much more aloof by her crossed arms, but it melted into a warm smile as she said, "You did good, Jim. I'm proud of you."

Jim smiled back and thanked her, though it took him a minute or two to do so because he kept fumbling his words.

Gia squealed, "Awww, does someone have a crush on my sis? So when's the wedding, you two?"

Lia's eyebrow twitched. "Gia that's not funny. I'm too old for Jim."

Unknown to Lia, Jim blanked from the outright rejection.

"Come on sis, you know what they say. Age is just a number."

Lia pulled up her cowl to hide her blush, not because of any feelings towards Jim but because the age difference between them was similar to that between herself and Ventus. She cleared her throat and responded, "Well what if I said you and Ryo would look good together?"

"Well why not?" Gia rebutted. She placed her hands on her hips and said, "I think Ryo is rather handsome."

Now Ryo was the one red in the cheeks, trying to crawl into the smallest space he could.

Rickson shook his head. "Would you two cut it out? You're making the boys uncomfortable." Sari giggled sweetly, causing him to turn and ask, "What?"

"Oh, nothing," she crooned as her eyes rolled.

Soon, Riku beamed himself down onto the Legacy and looked for Captain Amelia to thank her for everything. "I really appreciate you looking out for my apprentices throughout the journey."

Captain Amelia cleared her throat and nodded. "They were all terrific, Mr. Hinode. They pulled their weight around the ship and were absolutely daring in combat. I am thankful that I had them here, however, I regret to inform you that–"

"I know...Lia told me shortly after it happened. She also told me you lost someone as well. My condolences."

"Thank you, Mr. Hinode. Same to you."

"Well then, considering that Treasure Planet was destroyed, I suppose it's time for me to regroup with my apprentices and plan what happens next."

Amelia nodded. "Should you need anything from me, please do not hesitate to ask."

"Thank you. I appreciate that. I truly do." Riku then turned to face his apprentices and said, "All right, team. I think it's time we all talk and get on the same page. Let's get back on the Highwind."

"Yes sir!"

* * *

**Location:** Radiant Garden - Ansem's Castle

Ventus sat in front of a computer alongside Isa and Dilan. The three of them had headsets on so that they could communicate with Mahir. They had prepared the boy for his first day in the underground fighting circuit and were hopeful that all went well.

"Geez, who's idea was it to have this thing in the sewers? It smells like one of Jack's socks if something crawled in there and died." The boy's voice was hushed, but they could hear him clearly even among the chatter in the background.

While this earned a slight chuckle from Ventus and Dilan, Isa was unamused.

"You'll have to endure it," he stated bluntly.

"I know, I know. It's just I know I'm going to need to take like three showers to get rid of this stink when I get back."

"That's a miracle because it's hard to get you to do just one," Ventus teased.

"Ha-ha, Master. When you grow up with the bare minimum to survive, you don't exactly get used to showering every day."

"I know, I've heard it befo-" Ventus cut himself short when he felt his Gummi Phone vibrating in his pocket. He checked the caller to find that it was Aqua. Had it been anyone else, he would have let it ring but considering the state of things, he excused himself from the room and answered.

To his surprise, it was a four-way call with Riku and Lea as well. "Aqua, Riku, Lea, everything okay?"

Riku shook his head, "Not everything. Let's start with the good news. We've successfully found and rescued Sari, Rickson, and Jack." Aqua was relieved to hear that and thanked Riku for going to find them. The silver-haired man continued, "We also followed the materia trail to a place called Treasure Planet. According to a boy that accompanied Lia, Ryo, and Marta on their journey, the center of the planet had mountains of materia and other treasures collected together. The planet exploded, which is both good and bad. Good because the materia thieves can no longer use it...if they were even planning on it."

"If?" Lea questioned.

"While I was separated from Lia, a group of people came for her. A woman and these men with silver hair."

Ventus' eyes hardened as his mind went back to a horrible memory. "Xehanort…"

With a headshake, Riku explained, "That's what I thought at first too, but no. Tifa says that these men are connected to a man named Sephiroth, someone from her and Cloud's past. They haven't seen Sephiroth in years, but they say that these men undoubtedly have something to do with him."

"And the woman?" Aqua asked.

"We don't know much about her except that the silver-haired men call her 'Mother,' and for some reason she's after the twins."

Ventus gripped his phone tightly.

"What?!"

Lea was also understandably upset by the news.

"Yeah. Lia said that she tried to grab hold of her, but something happened. She doesn't know what exactly but there was some flash of light and suddenly the woman was in pain and could barely stand. She and her 'son' retreated through a Dark Corridor and that was the end of that. However, while Lia was telling us about this, Gia brought up that the day she and Lea returned to the Land of Departure, she saw a woman that matched Lia's description in Agrabah. At first, she thought she was hallucinating due to the heat, but now she thinks otherwise. I'm starting to think that this whole ordeal may have been to get to the twins. I think we need to keep them somewhere safe. Gia can't travel alone with Lea anymore. He's strong, but he can't keep her safe all on his own, especially with so many people after her."

Lea didn't seem to appreciate that comment but held his tongue.

Aqua nodded. "I agree. Bring them back to the Land of Departure."

"Right. We'll have to handle them being together another way."

"So then the mission seems to have gone mostly unsuccessful if we couldn't get our hands on that materia. The silver lining there is that Ansem came up with a solution to supplement the materia shortage seeing as how we can't get it back. He's starting a program that will have Cid, Leon, and Yuffie traveling to uninhabited worlds rich with materia to basically terraform them specifically for mining materia. He's going to talk to Scrooge McDuck and the King about setting up safer routes for travel between those worlds and some of the major worlds in each system like the Land of Departure, Radiant Garden, Twilight Town."

"That sounds like a bit of a gamble," Riku responded. "Not to mention that if they do create a rich materia mine, it's at risk of being attacked by these new enemies. They'll need to be heavily guarded. I think we should deal with this threat before committing people and resources to this."

"I agree with Riku," Aqua stated. "However, how Ansem chooses to lead his people is none of our business. We need to worry about our own."

"Actually, Aqua…"

"What is it, Riku?"

"There's one more thing I need to mention." He let out a sigh, dreading what he was about to say. "Not everyone is returning home."

Aqua's brows furrowed with worry. "Riku, what are you talking about?"

"Marta didn't make it."

Silence.

Aqua didn't know what to say. She probably hadn't even processed what Riku said.

Ventus asked, "What? What do you mean she didn't make it? Did she…?"

"Yeah. According to Lia, she fell asleep while using her glider during a crisis with a black hole and was sucked in. Aqua, I'm so sorry that I wasn't there for her...I just...I just didn't know how else to handle the situation except by splitting up the party."

"I know. I don't blame you for your decision, but this means that we can no longer stay divided anymore. We need to stay together as a unit from now on."

Ventus offered a compassionate smile as he said, "I think that's a great idea, Aqua. Does that mean we'll be working together with Ansem and our other allies?"

Aqua's face hardened. "W-what? No. Ven, we need everyone to come back to the Land of Departure. We can't afford to spread ourselves so thin anymore. You and Mahir need to come home now. Lea, you too."

"Wait a minute, me too? But I'm hot on the trail."

Ventus fought the urge to make a hot joke, knowing now was not the time.

"I understand, but we need everyone back now."

"Actually, Aqua, I told Kairi I would help her with a mission she's doing right now. If it wasn't bad enough that we lost an apprentice, Kairi has no idea where Sora's gone off to."

"What?!" Ventus and Lea asked in unison.

"Aqua, you don't seem surprised," Riku noted.

"...Kairi told me. I'm sorry, Riku, but she promised me – _begged_ me not to tell you. I couldn't tell her no and–"

Riku was clearly hurt. "Aqua, how could you? You say that you want us united but how? By keeping secrets from one another?"

Ventus and Lea stayed quiet, neither one knowing a way to remedy the issue.

"Riku, I know I should have told you from the beginning, but I agree with something Kairi said." She stopped and let out a deep breath. "Look, we can talk about it more when you come home."

"Aqua, I'm going home, but I'm not staying. I'm dropping the apprentices off and going to rendezvous with Kairi, Roxas, and Xion."

"Riku…"

"My best friend needs me."

"You won't even stay for Marta's funeral?"

Riku sighed with a nod. "Yes, I'll stay for that, but afterward I'm leaving."

"Fine. Riku, as Grand Master of the Land of Departure, I ask that if you cannot follow this order, you are resigning your position here."

Ventus felt that to be a little harsh. "Aqua…"

"No, Ventus," Riku intervened. "She's right. I understand that Lia and Rickson both need me. Sari will be fine without me, she's probably the closest to becoming a Keyblade Master, after all. But those Lia and Rickson are going to have a hard time and I can't take them with me. I'll tell them after Marta's funeral."

"Understood. Ven, Lea. Please come back."

Lea let out a sigh and scratched the back of his neck. "I can go back tomorrow. I just need one more world to check and I'll be right there."

"That's fine. Ven?"

"Aqua...I-I can't either…"

"Ven, without Riku, Lea and I can't handle safeguarding the Land of Departure and looking out for the apprentices. And don't forget about Silva."

"Aqua, let's make a deal. I go home, but Mahir stays. I'll bring him back for Marta's funeral but Lea sends him back to Radiant Garden. We need to keep good on our promise. You might need me more than Ansem does, but he needs Mahir more than we do."

He was twisting Aqua's arm, but she knew he had a point so she nodded. "I'll agree to it. I'll see you all soon."

One by one, faces disappeared from Ventus' Gummi Phone until it was just him staring at his reflection. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before tilting his head up. When his eyes opened, he stared at the fluorescent lights on the ceiling. They flickered slightly, not enough to be apparent, but enough if you paid close attention. Ventus had no idea what was in store moving forward, nor how he felt at the moment. He had taken so much bad news: the recall, Marta, Sora...but the one good thing from it all…

Was that Lia was safe.

* * *

**Location** : The Ocean Between

Xion sat quietly in her cabin, nervously playing with her Gummi phone before she took a deep breath. Just this once...she could be a little selfish.

With a small smile, she clicked on a certain contact and the phone began to ring. Not even minutes later, the call was answered and her smile grew as she saw who was on the other end of the line.

"Xion, this is a surprise." Ienzo greeted her, his eyes glinting with happiness as he spoke. "How is the mission coming along?"

"I think we're getting somewhere, hopefully." Xion answered. "But that's not why I called."

"Oh? Then why did you call?" Ienzo questioned.

"I just...missed you." Xion admitted. "I wanted to see you and talk to you, before we got too much further."

She didn't want to admit that she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, one that reminded her of her days exploring Castle Oblivion, searching for her origins. She couldn't tell him that, burden him with that fear.

"I miss you too." Ienzo smiled softly, and Xion suddenly wished, with a visceral _ache_ in her chest, to be back on Radiant Garden, to have Ienzo's arms surrounding her, keeping her safe, reminding her that she was _real_ and not just a puppet (the nightmares of those last days, of being manipulated and used, never truly went away…). "Should I tell you about what is going on here to ease your mind?"

"That would be nice." Xion smiled as she laid back on the bed, waiting for her boyfriend to speak.

"Well, let's see...Ventus and Mahir have come to help us with our investigation, Mahir seems quite eager to get started as Aeleus' partner under cover." Ienzo chuckled. "Master Ansem, Even and I are looking into a possible solution to the current materia shortage, to hopefully offset the considerable loss of it so far. Namine and Leon have also been a great help as well."

"It sounds like you have your hands full." Xion teased.

"Of course, but I wouldn't have it any other way." Ienzo smiled. "As long as I'm kept busy, I don't have time to worry about how the other worlds are being affected or if you're in danger."

"I'm sorry…" The dark haired girl apologized.

"Don't. This job is something you love, something you are _amazing_ at, and it's one of the reasons I love you, because you take these risks to help others so that the worlds are a safer place." Ienzo scolded her. "You don't need to apologize for who you are or what you love and I will never ask you to give this up until you are ready, just as you would never ask me to give up my research with Master Ansem."

"How could I? When you get going, I can't even drag you away from a research lab." Xion laughed, feeling tears of gratitude and love form in her eyes. (She missed him, she missed him _so much_ , and all she wanted right now was to hug him, to kiss him, to hold his hand, _anything_ , just to be near him.) "But thank you. I love you too."

Ienzo smiled at her, soft and sweet, and Xion's heart started to race in her chest. (When he looked at her like that...it made her think that he was trying to ask her something without words, something she had never imagined back during what she thought were her final days, offering her something she did not have, not yet. Something she knew now that she would only accept from _him_ and nobody else in all the worlds. She wanted it, she wanted it more than any words could _describe_.)

Suddenly, Xion felt the Gummi Ship rock a bit, indicating that they had exited a lane between. Her eyes had drifted to the corner until she was sure of it. That's when she looked directly at Ienzo through her phone and smiled sadly. "I think we're close. I have to go. I'll call you later, though."

"Of course. And we'll see each other again soon." Ienzo smiled easily, nodding in agreement. "I love you."

"I love you too." Xion smiled before she hung up. She desperately ignored the pit in her stomach as she stood up and made her way to the cockpit.

When Xion entered the cockpit, she was greeted with an area of the Ocean dimly lit by a burning orange sun. There were asteroids scattered all around a titanic battleship that had been ravaged by time. "Wow…" she said in awe. "What happened here?"

Kairi stood up from her seat to get a better look at the scene in front of them. She placed her hand on the gummi ship's windshield and stared at the battleship in front of them, knowing well what lay beyond it. "It...can't be…" she choked out. Xion looked from Kairi to Roxas in confusion. Roxas simply shrugged. Her guess was as good as his. Finally, Kairi answered, "I remember this place from a decade ago. I don't think I'd ever forget a single moment of that day."

Xion cocked her head in confusion, but Roxas was beginning to catch on. He flew the ship very slowly around the battleship to avoid toppling Kairi, who stood like a statue in front of the windshield.

Kairi continued, "This is the first obstacle that we faced during the Keyblade War. Never had I seen Sora pilot a ship but that day, I couldn't believe my eyes because of how expertly he flew the Highwind through this thing." A soft smile formed on her lips as she said, "There were a few close calls that I gave him an earful for. I guess you get your reckless piloting from him," she told Roxas teasingly.

Roxas crossed his arms and playfully pouted, "Do not!"

"So then beyond this is the Keyblade Graveyard?" Xion asked. Her spine began to tingle as memories of that fateful day rushed through her like a tsunami. Just the memory of pointing her weapon at Lea made her shudder.

"But...why is my heart telling us to come here? Would Sora come back to this world? If something similar to ten years ago happened, he would've told us about it...right?" Kairi asked, her voice uncertain as she looked from Xion to Roxas.

"Only one way to find out." Roxas stated, his voice serious and showing none of his previous levity. "Buckle in, guys. We're going to the Keyblade Graveyard."

Kairi went to sit down to prepare herself for what came next. As Roxas neared the battlescarred world, she gripped the armrests with all her strength, hoping and praying that Sora was alright. Part of her was hoping that her heart had misguided them and that Sora did not really return to this wretched world. The same world where she…

Kairi bit her bottom lip, hard enough to break the skin. Not even the pain from her bleeding lip could break her from her thoughts. She just sat there as the ship descended onto the barren wasteland just outside the battleground.

The ship's ramp extended to the floor allowing Kairi, Roxas, and Xion to exit the ship and make their way into the cave before them. The trio was silent as they walked together, all tense with thought. The crunching sound beneath their feet was accompanied only by the howling wind that kicked the dust around, cleaning some of the lifeless keys and dirtying others. They entered the cave and reached the other exit soon after, noticing a lone figure standing in the center of the ring where the Light of the Past aided Sora against the colossal demon tide.

It was a man clad in nothing, but a simple blue tunic and matching pants, which were tucked into white boots, with a long white cape and the barest amount of white armor. He also wore a white hood, hiding his face from the three Keyblade wielders. All that could be made out was tufts of blonde hair under his hood and a single light blue eye. At his side was a sword, though he made no move to grasp it as the three approached.

The trio's advances slowed to a stop as they exercised caution around the knight, though he could hardly be described as such. They stood in silence, waiting for him to say or do something but he kept looking forward with a calm look on his face. It was almost serene. Roxas took a step forward to ask, "Who are you?"

A small smile formed on the knight's lips as he responded, "I could ask you three the same thing...but then that would be redundant of me."

"You know us?" he asked.

"I do," the knight said calmly. "And so does he for that matter." There was not even so much as an eye twitch as he continued looking at the trio, knowing of their impending doom. A figure fell down from the edge of the cliff above them with a corrupted version of the Kingdom Key in hand. The rattling keychain alerted Roxas and Xion of the incoming attack from above allowing them to react. Roxas summoned Two Become One and swung upward. The clash created a powerful shockwave that kicked up the sand around them, forcing the women to shield their eyes.

When the dust cleared, Kairi's eyes widened with horror at the sight of Sora with an aura of black mist shrouding his body. The skin around his fingers had darkened, except for the tips which were blood red and his once bright sapphire eyes had become golden yellow.

Roxas stared at his counterpart with bewilderment in his eyes. Sora noticed this and took advantage of Roxas' vulnerable state by pressing down hard against Two Become One, allowing him to flip over the blonde and then swing with a wide arc to strike him in the back. Roxas grunted from the impact as he stumbled forward. The blonde then swung with the same move that Sora had just done, but his blade only sliced through air. Sora was midleap and he came down onto Roxas with another swift downward slash.

Xion pressed the ball of her foot against the dry ground and kicked up some dust as she pushed herself forward. She managed to close the distance between herself and the others within the second. This allowed her to parry Sora's attack with Oathkeeper. Once she touched the ground, she propelled herself forward to follow up with more quick thrusts. Sora quickly countered with an explosion of dark energy, creating several spheres of darkness that forced Xion to guard, rather than attack.

"Xion!" Roxas shouted.

"Right!" Xion nodded, understanding the blonde's plan without any words being exchanged between them. Instead, she simply threw her whole body forward, ducking under Sora's counter strike and using her shoulder to ram her body into Sora's. Oathkeeper had vanished from her grasp.

A second later, Roxas charged at Sora with both Two Become One and Oathkeeper in his hands. With his balance thrown off, Sora was wide open and Roxas crossed his two keyblades, moving to attack.

The wielder of the Kingdom Key raised his polluted hand, stopping Roxas' dual attack mid-swing, both Keyblades caught in his grasp. Gritting his teeth, the former nobody swiftly kicked Sora directly in the chest, throwing both his Keyblades in the air as soon as they were free. Once the weapons left Roxas' grasp, they vanished only to reappear a second later, this time in Xion's hands. With silence and deadly accuracy, she locked both Keyblades around Sora's neck, the threat if he continued to struggle clear.

Kairi...felt like she couldn't breathe. Sora, Roxas, and Xion, they were friends, as close as any of the other Guardians of Light were! So why...why was Sora doing this, why did he _look_ like that? She didn't have an answer, and that hurt more than even watching this battle ever could, because if she didn't have an answer to the "why," she couldn't stop whatever caused it. And being unable to help Sora...that was something she hated more than anything else, reminding her of the year she had been left alone, not able to help save the worlds or Riku and instead being left behind like the dead weight damsel in distress she had always been. She'd thought she'd left that behind, that she could fight alongside Sora and Riku as an equal. But now she knew, she'd never left that behind. She only went in circles and found herself back at the start.

Having locked Sora between the two Keyblades, Xion looked at Kairi, signaling her with a nod that it was safe to approach him. Kairi hesitated because she could barely recognize the man before her. Now that she had gotten a closer look at him, she could see that his hair was messier than usual and there were some patches, a sign that hair had been ripped from his head. It was difficult to see him like this. So difficult that a lump had grown inside Kairi's throat and threatened to choke her. Kairi jumped when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She whipped her head around to find that it was just Roxas with a look of concern plain on his face. He looked from her to Sora and then to the ever-looming threat of the knight who stood exactly where he had when they arrived.

Kairi followed Roxas' gaze to the knight and suddenly she swelled with anger and frustration. Whatever had happened to Sora was this man's doing: the way he looked, the way he acted, all of it. Without realizing it, Kairi had summoned Destiny's Embrace and aimed it directly at the knight. She gathered her strength and concentrated it on the tip of her blade before firing a ball of light energy from it.

"Flower Shoot!" she said as she cast the spell.

The concentrated ball of fiery light flew straight and true, and Kairi knew it should've combusted the knight. "Should've" being the key word there. What actually happened, however, was something the Princess of Heart had never anticipated. The knight raised his shield and batted the spell as if it were nothing more than a fly he wished to swat away.

Kairi was shocked, not even registering as her spell collided with the nearest cliff and caused a small rockslide to crash down to the ground. She couldn't believe it...it was as if...as if her magical ability meant _nothing_ against his. But...how? She knew her magical ability was not as strong as Aqua's, but the two had trained together for years, so...how was this possible?

She turned to look at Roxas for an answer, but he, too, was slack in shock, his hand still resting on her shoulder, though now it was limp instead of squeezing in reassurance. Xion, too, appeared shocked, her eyes locked on the knight in disbelief. Of course, it was only then that Kairi noticed Xion's slacking grip on Two Become One and Oathkeeper.

By then, it was too late.

Sora used that moment of distraction to shove his elbow back into Xion's gut, the action causing the black haired woman to gasp as she fell backwards, banishing Two Become One and swinging Oathkeeper widely to avoid actually cutting Sora's throat.

A second later, Kairi felt herself being pulled back as Sora was suddenly looming over her. She hadn't even seen him _move_. How did he get there so fast? Most terrifying of all was that the Kingdom Key was barely blocked from striking her heart by Roxas' Keyblade.

"Wha-?!" She gasped, unable to believe what had happened.

Sora...was going...to kill her?

"I must say, it is _so fascinating_ to watch just how easily bonds can fall apart." The knight said, his voice as casual as if he were talking about the weather, as Roxas kept Sora at bay and pushed Kairi behind him. "Take this young man, for example. He's always gone on and _on_ about his friends being his power, and yet here he is, fighting that same source of power and he isn't affected by it at all!"

"Sora, stop!" Roxas shouted, trying to get through to his counterpart, his _friend_. He locked Keyblades with him, holding him in place long enough for Xion to attempt to knock him out with the back edge of Oathkeeper.

"In fact, he's _stronger_ because he's fighting his source of power." The knight's lips curved slightly into a soft smile. "With each bond he fights, his power increases, his _darkness_ increases."

Right before Oathkeeper could hit Sora, his red-tinged hand shot out and caught it, effortlessly throwing Xion aside with her Keyblade, as if she were nothing, but a doll. A second later, Roxas felt his feet being kicked out from under him and his face met the dirt.

"Darkness really is the true source of power. With the light he was strong, but he's even stronger now. He's gone beyond what he used to be, become something more than human."

Roxas looked up, only to see Sora raising the Kingdom Key above his head, ready to bring it down and kill the blonde.

"No! Stop! Sora!" Xion shouted, trying to push herself up, only to find a dark barrier holding her down, limiting her movement.

"It's only through fighting you all, who he claims his power comes from, that he becomes strong. And through your deaths, he will become even stronger, greater than he was before." The knight's face was twisted into a cruel smile, his kindly features distorted in a way that Kairi was sure would haunt her for some time. It was those features that broke her out of her trance.

"Waterga!" She shouted, holding her hand out as the water in the air reacted to her magic and hardened into streams of arrows, shooting out towards Sora in an instant.

The magical attack forced the brunette to jump back from Roxas, deflecting the arrows as easily as a knife cutting through butter. However, he didn't see Xion coming with Oathkeeper in its claymore form, intending to knock Sora to the ground in one attack under the cover of Kairi's magic, but-

Sora raised both arms in an 'x' shape...and the claymore stopped as it came into contact with his hardened skin.

"What?!" Kairi and Roxas gasped in unison.

Xion spoke her realization out loud. "That darkness...it's like it's armor protecting his body!"

"Exactly. Whereas light barely gave him any armor, the darkness allows him to fight against even you, Guardians of Light." The knight smiled serenely. "And if such armor cannot be broken, he cannot be defeated. And your bonds will break, as easily as glass."

Sora moved his arms to the side, causing Xion to stagger forward, which opened her up to a critical hit to her side with the Kingdom Key.

"No…" Kairi whispered. Was there...really nothing she could do…? That they could do…?

"Dammit, Sora, wake up! Are you really going to leave Kairi like this, after _everything_?! Are you going to abandon your friends, after everything you did to protect them?! You'd be a pretty shitty other then!" Roxas growled. "Wake _up_ already, this isn't who you are and you know it! Damn it all!"

Sora, however, remained silent, his cloudy gaze simply staring at Roxas, as if he really wasn't seeing him at all. Roxas clicked his tongue and glared at his counterpart. All Sora did was raise the Kingdom Key, and-

Roxas charged once again, this time resolving himself not to hold back anymore. He knew he'd have to hurt Sora but hoped not to have to take things too far. Sora blitzed forward as well and the two clashed Keyblades, pushing against each other with all their might.

A pair of white and silver chakrams resembling the teeth of Oathkeeper surrounded by a curled wing flew at Sora. The corrupted guardian swiveled on his foot, allowing Roxas to take a cut on his shoulder as he batted the other chakram away.

"Shit! Roxas!" Xion gritted her teeth as she caught her boomeranging chakrams and reverted them into Oathkeeper.

Sora swung his Keyblade, aiming for Roxas' head but the raven-haired woman jumped in front, stealing Two Become One to guard with both Keyblades crossed. She locked eyes with the man who she owed her existence to and found nothing but hate in them. Unadulterated hate.

"Sora...who hurt you?" It was barely a whisper that escaped Xion's lips. So quiet that not even Sora could hear it right in front of her. With a heavy gulp, Xion came to a resolution. Her voice was calm and steady as she said, "Roxas, Kairi, go."

"What?" Roxas asked, his eyes widening in shock.

"I'll hold Sora off, you two escape and go to the Land of Departure. With the help of the others, we can save Sora, but we can't do that if we all die here." Xion argued. "So...I'll stay behind and you two go get our backup, so we can help Sora."

"But Xion, you'll-" Kairi began to protest.

"I'll be alright." Xion turned to look at the two of them with a peaceful smile.

That smile...it reminded Roxas of…

"No, you can't!" Roxas protested. "You know what could happen if you do that again, it's too risky-"

"It's our only chance." Xion stated, her voice firm and her eyes like steel. "Besides, I know you guys will come back, for both of us. So, run and...I'll see you later."

"But Xion-!" Kairi tried to argue, only to be cut off as Roxas grasped her arm.

"You better keep that promise." He stated, before he turned and began to run, dragging Kairi behind him.

Kairi only got one chance to look back and watch as Xion suddenly glowed with a bright white light and, when it cleared, in her place was an armored figure, wearing pink, yellow and white armor and two matching swords in her grasp.

"Be safe." She heard Roxas whisper.

Kairi had never felt as scared to leave that graveyard as she did at that moment, watching the armored Xion facing off against a dark Sora, all while the knight simply stood off to the side, smiling peacefully.

The knight...he unnerved her more than anything else about this situation, but there was nothing she could do now. All she could do was run and hope she and Roxas could get back to them in time to save them.

Before all was lost, forever.

Kairi could not fight the urge to look back, to see if Xion was okay. What she found was a swirling vortex of light and dark energy expanding out further and further by the passing moment.

"Roxas!"

The blonde turned toward it. They weren't going to make it to the Gummi Ship in time, so without thinking, he beckoned a Dark Corridor and ran through it with Kairi. The rift in space and time swallowed them up and faded away just as the exploding energy passed through the mountain crevice they were in.

Kairi felt cold in the darkness. Then she suddenly felt inexplicably hot, but she was too tired and too heartbroken to open her eyes so she just lay there on a sandy beach with the rising waves creeping up on her. The only other thing she felt was someone's hand clutching her own.

"Roxas…"

It was barely a mumble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wolfie: And there we are!
> 
> Couple quick notes before I send you off to the next chapter (surprise!): first, Legacy and I wrote the last section over a year ago. It was originally intended to be in chapter 2, with Kairi, Roxas and Xion never going to Radiant Garden or Midnight City and a completely different character being alongside Sora. We're both very glad we decided to hold it off, however, though about 80% is unchanged from what we originally wrote. Second, Legacy wanted me to mention this, but we SO CALLED Kairi training with Aqua, thank you for the validation, Nomura-san!
> 
> And now, to end off the longest chapter of this fic EVER, I invite all of you to continue on to the next chapter for an Afterword from both of your authors.


	15. Afterword

**Afterword**

**Legacy**

Well guys, like I said in my author's notes in Chapter 12, this is the end of the first book of Kingdom Hearts: Dual Destinies and I have to say, I am so happy to have been able to share this experience with Wolfie and you as well. For those of you who don't know (probably everyone who currently reads this fanfic), before Dual Destinies, there was a story called Kingdom Hearts Police Department. It was also an SYOC, one with no plot laid out and no character arcs planned out. I quickly gave up on that project, but I'm glad that I had started it because if I hadn't, I never would have met Wolfie.

Even though I was the one who approached them about submitting a character, Wolfie was more than happy to create an OC for KH: PD and that OC was Liliana, the first incarnation of Liana Geraldine. Liliana was also the inspiration for Giana's first incarnation, Miliana. Why did we decide to change their names when we rebooted the story? Well, that's yet to be seen, but there is a reason. Just like how there's a reason for the Sephiroth Remnants being in this story as well as for why Sora is essentially Anti-Sora now. I know that we left a lot of questions open and a lot of plotlines open at the end of this book, but that's because this whole book can almost be considered the prologue to the entire series.

That's right, it's going to be _huge_. Wolfie and I already have a strong idea of the central plot for the next two books, so stay tuned for more of our crazy ideas as they unfold in this epic tale of two girls who just want to find their home and protect the people they've grown to care about.

Now, there's just one last thing. This will not be the final entry for this fanfic. There is one more update that I want you guys to keep an eye out for that Wolfie will be posting sometime tomorrow. I can't give you an exact time, so just be prepared.

With that said, I'd like to thank every single reader who has stuck through this story from beginning to end. I know that the first half of it is a bit sluggish with a lot of setup, but let's be honest. When the story gets to Sari, it gets cranked up from 0-100 extremely quickly and so much happens in that latter half. I know that that's horrible pacing on our part, but we're still learning how to tell a story and the experience we've had with this book will carry over into Book 2 and beyond so Wolfie and I appreciate your continuous support. Until next time, friends.

May your heart be your guiding key.

**Wolfie**

Hi again, everyone, Wolfie here! Well, to start off, I just want to say thank you all, so much, for sticking with us for _so long_ , especially those of you who gave us so many of these wonderful OCs back when Dual Destinies first came out over four years ago! I truly cannot believe that this day is here, because I honestly don't think 2016 Wolfie could've pictured any of this.

Wow, reminiscing time now, let's see...like Legacy said, they approached me personally to make an OC back when KH: PD was the fic and honestly, they shocked me. I had never done an SYOC before, never participated let alone done one _myself_. Back then, I was just dipping my feet into writing fanfiction for Kingdom Hearts and had created one specific OC, who some of you know. I never imagined I'd create an OC that eventually became Lia, who is everything I've ever dreamed of for Liliana and _more_. Of course, when the original Dual Destinies was published, with Liliana and Miliana taking the helm, Legacy ended up leaving it in my care after a while, which became the fic some of you long time readers remember. But admittedly, when left alone, I end up having a horrible update schedule, haha. Even back then, Legacy was helping me on the side with editing chapters after I posted them, for which I am forever grateful. I think my writing has improved so much over the years in part due to their advice.

And then, we reached last year. I had been struggling with, surprise, surprise, finishing up the Treasure Planet plotline. But then out of the blue, once again, Legacy messaged me and offered to help me and we ended up completely rebooting the entire fic, turning it into a series that I never would have pictured it becoming all those years ago. So much has changed from when we originally wrote this fic, from our main characters' names to plot points, details and arcs that I would have never thought of on my own.

But now, finally, we're here, on the last chapters of this first fic. It's been an amazing roller coaster, and I am so grateful for it all, because not only have I had the honor of participating in a series of this magnitude (and have no doubt will be finished), but I have had the pleasure of working with Legacy, who has become a dear friend to me over these many years. And, of course, I'm grateful to all of you readers as well, for supporting us and sticking with us, even when this fic was just my first ever SYOC and wouldn't be updated for months at a time.

Thank you, all of you, from the bottom of my heart. I hope this ride was worth it for you, just as it was for me. Now, as I finish this note with actual tears in my eyes, I encourage you all to keep an eye out, both on the chapter after this and the days that come, as Legacy and I continue our planning and eventually provide the supplemental stories to tide you all over. We shall return, I promise!

And finally, for the last time, may your heart be your guiding key.


	16. Credits and Epilogue

Epilogue

**Credits**

**Song:** _Dearly Beloved_

**By:** AmaLee

Disney

Pixar

Square Enix

Lead Writer

WolfieRed23

Co-Writer

LegacyReturns

Original Character Design

WolfieRed23

LegacyReturns

EmeraldWings1992

Jay Hayden

ShadowWolf223

Meyneth24

Antex-The Legendary Zoroark

Jackthehedgehog

AcceptedCookies07

Time-Space lord Eon

Voice Acting

_Giana Geraldine_ Demi Lovato

_Liana Geraldine_ Demi Lovato

_Alexina Megalos_ Colleen Smith Clinkenbeard

_Ryo Grace_ Justin Briner

_Mahir Nejem_ Mena Massoud

_Maia Ignis_ Ashley Tisdale

_Marta Lesia_ Emily Osment

_Rickson Black_ Johnny Yong Bosch

_Sari Zariah_ Emma Watson

_Jack Brawler_ Dan Green

_Leander “Lea” Solis_ Quinton Flynn

_Riku Hinode_ David Gallagher

_Ventus Caelum_ Jesse McCartney

_Aqua Marina_ Willa Holland

_Kairi Unmei_ Alyson Stoner

_Xion_ Alyson Stoner

_Roxas Hikari_ Jesse McCartney

_Silva Cotta-Marina_ Christina Vee

_Ansem the Wise_ Corey Burton

_Ienzo Trovanto_ Vincent Corazza

_Even Frost_ Derek Stephen Prince

_Dilan Sleagh_ David Dayan Fisher

_Aeleus Krijger_ David Boat

_Isa Otsuki_ Kirk Thorton

_Naminé Unmei_ Meaghan Jette Martin

_Cloud Strife_ Steve Burton

_Tifa Strife-Lockheart_ Rachael Leigh Cook

_Cid Highwind_ Chris Edgerly

_Oerba dia Vanille_ Georgia van Cuylenburg

_Kadaj_ Steve Staley

_Loz_ Fred Tatasciore

_Yazoo_ Dave Wittenberg

_Ardyn Izunia_ Darin De Paul

_Tiana_ Anika Noni Rose

_Prince Naveen_ Bruno Campos

_Dr. Facilier_ Keith David

_Ray_ Jim Cummings

_Louis_ Michael-Leon Wooley

_Mama Odie_ Jenifer Lewis

_Lawrence_ Peter Bartlett

_Syndrome_ Jason Lee

_Jim Hawkins_ Joseph Gordon-Levitt

_Dr. Delbert Doppler_ David Hyde Pierce

_Captain Amelia_ Emma Thompson

_Mr. Arrow_ Kevin McNally

_B.E.N._ Martin Short

_Morph_ Dane Davis

_John Silver_ Brian Murray

_Scroop_ Michael Wincott

_Onus_ Corey Burton

_Bird Brain Mary_ Mickie McGowan

_Turnbuckle_ Rodger Bumpass

_Captain Armando Salazar_ Javier Bardem

_Lauriam Rosenblaum_ Keith James Ferguson

_Elrena Rosenblaum_ Shanelle Workman Grey

_Shandanee Chawla_ Selena Gomez

_Ravi Chawla_ Katherine Davis Higgins

_Eric Oakley_ Vincent Martella

_Hibiki Fujio_ Benjamin Diskin

_Layla_ Misty Lee

_Zia Rosenblaum_ Ariel Winter

_Strelitzia Rosenblaum_ Mae Whitman

_“The Hunter”_ Shia Labeouf

_“Mother”_ Lana Parilla

_“The White Knight”_ Cole Sprouse

_Tyfon_ Yuri Lowenthal

_Professor Hojo_ Paul Eiding

* * *

**Location:** Midnight City - Memory Skyscraper

“Dammit, dammit, dammit! We were so close!” Kadaj cursed as he hit the table before him repeatedly. He took a moment, then, to breathe before he turned to Yazoo. “How is Mother?”

“Healing. And that’s all she will tell me.” Yazoo answered. “Truthfully, none of this would have happened if _someone_ hadn’t been too caught up in playing with such an unimportant pawn.”

“I was not playing! And I found Big Brother, didn’t I?” Loz cried.

“Only to lose him again soon afterwards.” The White Knight shook his head in disappointment as he leaned against his hand, his elbow leaning against the table.

“Like you can talk. You lost a Princess of Heart and that boy’s other self.” The Hunter scoffed.

“And yet, I’m the only one who _returned_ with something of value.” The White Knight drawled, his voice challenging.

“Except none of that matters when our main objective is still running around freely!” Kadaj cut them all off, slamming his hands on the table and staring them all down before he focused on the only man to remain silent so far. “Hojo, how long until the device is complete?”

The man, Professor Hojo, watched the calamity of hungry Heartless devouring the Dark City through the skyscraper’s window. He pushed his glasses up, and responded non-commitantly, “Not much longer, though with caring for your mother as well, we may be delayed. But getting the girl sooner rather than later is certainly imperative.”

“Of course it is.” Kadaj rolled his eyes. “Very well, then. All efforts will be focused on finding the proper girl as soon as possible, if we are to succeed.”

For Mother’s sake. For the plan’s sake. For everything they had ever worked toward for so long.

“We need Liana Geraldine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued in Kingdom Hearts: Dual Destinies Book 2: Connected Hearts


End file.
